Accidents Happen
by sobia.ezria.pll
Summary: Ezra just found out he had a son and confront Aria about it at school. That same day, Aria and Spencer get into a huge car accident. Ezria story. Idea was given to me by Brennan'Ezria Lover :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! This is a new story I'm working on. Shoutout to Brennan'Ezria Lover for the idea for this story! Hope you like it. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of the characters/several of the scenes from this story.**

Chapter 1:

**Aria:**

"Hey guys." Emily said as she approached Aria and Hanna in the cafeteria. She sat down next to Hanna and was about to sit down when something behind Aria caught her eye. Hanna looked in the direction Emily was focused on, her mouth slightly open. Finally, Aria turned around and noticed Ezra standing outside the cafeteria, looking straight at her. When she caught his eyes, he approached her. He did not look happy.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Aria asked, getting up and meeting Ezra halfway, brushing some snowflakes out of his hair from standing outside.

"Can I see you for a moment." Ezra asked, his face serious.

"Sure. What's going on? Is everything okay?" Aria asked concerned.

"Okay? I don't know, you tell me." he said quietly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Why was Spencer talking about Maggie?"

"What?" Aria asked, surprise and a hint of fear in her voice.

"She says that I had...that I _have_ a son." Ezra said. "Why would she say that?" he asked so calmly that it scared Aria.

Aria looked around the cafeteria uneasily. She didn't want to make a scene. "Ezra, could we just talk about this a-"

"We're talking about this right now!" Ezra cut her off, angrily.

"Ezra. Please." Aria pleaded.

Ezra looked around the cafeteria, noticing other students staring at their former English teacher. He walked outside, not turning back to see if Aria followed. With a quick glance at her friends, Aria followed him to the courtyard.

Ezra stopped in a slightly less crowded area, and turned to face Aria. "So, you've been holding onto this since my birthday?"

"Ezra, wait, let me explain." Aria tried to speak, but Ezra cut her off again.

"So, you and my brother just sat there watching me blow out candles and you couldn't find a way to tell me this?" he asked in disbelief.

"I was scared!" Aria exclaimed.

"Of?"

"Of what it might do to us!" Aria said, close to tears. "And then Maggie showed up, and I thought she was going to tell you and when she didn't tell you-"

"Maggie hasn't been a part of my life since high school!" Ezra cut in. "I see you every day, Aria! You! You are the person I am spending my life with, you are the person I am supposed to trust." he said, angrily.

Aria paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before realizing that he was absolutely right. She should have told him. She was his girlfriend, and she was supposed to be honest with him. Love was all about trust. She nodding at him before saying "You're right."

Ezra stared at her for a moment, before walking away, leaving Aria alone, tears streaming down her cheeks. Now that the secret was out, she could barely believe she had agreed to hide something so big from Ezra, especially for the sake of someone she barely knew. She sat down on a bench, crying, when Spencer approached her.

"Come on. You look like you need to get out of here." Spencer said, pulling her by the arm.

Aria wanted to scream at her friend for telling Ezra, but she knew that Spencer had been set up by A. She reluctantly got up and followed her friend to her car, and got in the passenger seat. Spencer started driving down a path that Aria recognized to be the direction of the Hastings' lake house.

"Thank you for getting me out of there." Aria said, watching the snow fall down in clumps.

"No problem. It's the least I could do. Listen, I'm really sorry abou-"

"Spencer, don't." Aria said, cutting her friend off. "This isn't your fault, I know that A set you up."

Spencer looked at Aria and squeezed her hand. "I know but-" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because the ice on the streets caused Spencer's car to swerve at a sharp turn, before the car flipped over, the two girls inside screaming before everything turned black.

***PLL***

Aria awoke to the sound of someone yelling. She could see Spencer lying lifelessly beside her, and she could feel the blood around her hair. She looked out the window, where she saw Ezra's face through the shattered window, his eyes wide in shock and fear.

"Help." she said, so quiet she was sure he heard her, and she felt him drag her carefully out of the car and into his arms before everything went black again.

***PLL***

Sirens were wailing, lights were flashing blue and red. Aria felt something warm against her and realized she was being carried. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Ezra, looking down at her as he rushed her towards an ambulance.

"Everything's going to be okay." he murmured, seeing her eyes open and Aria could see his cheeks were wet with tears.

"Ezra. It hurts." Aria croaked.

"I know sweetie. We're taking you to the hospital and the doctors are going to fix you up. Everything will be okay, I promise." Ezra said.

"Sp-Spencer?" Aria asked barely above a whisper. It hurt so much to speak, but she had to know that her best friend was okay.

Ezra hesitated. "It doesn't look very good, but the paramedics are working on it."

Aria was about to respond when her vision slowly faded away into blackness again.

**Ezra:**

Ezra sat in his silver Toyota in the Rosewood High parking lot, trying to take in the day's event. He had a son. Aria had known, Wes had know, his mother had known. Maggie obviously knew. Everyone knew, everyone except Ezra. How could they all betray him like that? Well, he wasn't so shocked about his mother doing something like this, but he expected the rest of them to tell him, especially Aria. She had always talked to him about trust and honesty, yet she had kept a secret so huge from him! Ezra needed to clear his head. He pulled out of the Rosewood High parking lot and started driving towards the secluded part of Rosewood, where he knew a park that he always went to when he needed to think or just get away. He noticed the car in front of him, realizing it was Spencer's. He was still shocked about what happened at the park, but he didn't want to confront Spencer right now, not after what had just happened with Aria. He continued to drive, when he saw Spencer's car flip over at a sharp turn from the ice on the road.

In that instant, Ezra understood the meaning of an out-of-body experience. In his shock, he had pulled over and jumped out of the car, pulling out his cell phone and dialling 9-1-1. When he got off the phone he rushed to the car and his heart almost stopped.

He saw Spencer, upside down, a pool of blood seeping out of her head. But she wasn't alone. Sitting in the passenger seat was an unconscious Aria, a gash across her forehead, and her left arm twisted in an angle that meant it had to be broken. He rushed to her side and reached into the car through the shattered window. As he carefully pulled Aria out, avoiding the jagged glass, he heard a barely audible cry for help escape her lips. He gently dragged her out of the car, and into his arms, carefully supporting her broken left arm.

He heard sirens wailing in the distance, and an ambulance came into view. The paramedics quickly pulled out two stretchers, getting Ezra to gently place Aria on one of them, as the others took Spencer out of the car.

As Ezra walked towards the stretcher, Aria opened her eyes. Ezra tried to keep her calm, telling her that everything would be alright, and she was moaning in pain. Ezra felt tears fall down his cheeks and he wished more than anything that he could take the pain away, make everything better.

He carefully eased Aria onto the stretcher and climbed into the ambulance, not leaving her side.

**Wow, intense. Hopefully, Aria and Spencer will be okay. Please review and let me know what you think of this story so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited this story. It means a lot :)**

**Chapter 2:**

Ezra sat in the waiting room with Aria's and Spencer's parents. When he'd arrived at the hospital with Aria and Spencer, the doctors had rushed the stretchers through the emergency room. That had been four hours ago and there was still no word from the doctor's.

When he'd reached the hosptal, Ezra had called both girls parents and from the time they'd arrived till now, they had been asking question after question. Ezra couldn't blame them, they cared about their children. And at the same time he was grateful to them because, when they talked to him, it gave him less time to think about the fact that just before her car accident, he'd yelled at Aria and now she was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Ezra knew deep down that this car accident wasn't his fault, but he still blamed himself. Had he not gone to the school and said the things that he did, Aria wouldn't have left early. It would have been just a normal day and she would be in his arms right now instead of here, in the hospital. At this moment, he didn't care that Aria had kept the secret from him, he just wanted her to be okay.

Just then, the doctor walked out. "Aria Montgomery." he called out and Ezra, Ella and Byron all stood.

"How is she?" Ezra asked.

The doctor looked at him for a moment. "Are you family?"

"It's okay. I'm her mother and this is her father. We're okay with him being here." Ella intervened. Ezra gave her a grateful smile as the doctor continued.

"Very well. Aria has a broken arm and some head trauma. She's going to be okay, but we're keeping her here for at least 3 days." The doctor said.

The three of them all sighed in relief. Ezra felt like a huge burden had been taken off his shoulders.

"Thank God!" Ella said.

"Is she awake?" Byron asked

The doctor nodded. "She just woke up. Although with the head injury, she's a little disoriented."

"Can we see her?" Ezra asked.

The doctor hesitated. "If it's okay with her family, you may, but not for very long. She needs plenty of rest and we want her to be asleep in about half an hour."

"Thank you doctor." Ella said, turning to Ezra. "Ezra, would you like to see her first?"

Ezra was surprised but he nodded. "If that's okay with both of you."

Byron hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "You saved my baby girl's life." he said, hugging Ezra.

Ezra felt his eyes start to tear up. "I-Thank you." he said, gratefully. "I'll be back soon." he promised, before following the doctor to Aria's room. As he walked in, Aria turned to him.

"Hey." she said, smiling.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Ezra asked, trying to hold back tears. He hated crying in front of Aria, he was supposed to be the strong one that always protected her. But the sight of her arm in a cast and a large bandage on her forehead made him feel like he'd failed her in some way. He was supposed to keep her safe, protect her from everything, yet here she was, lying helplessly in a bed.

"Ezra, stop." Aria said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Stop what." Ezra said, taking her good hand in his and sitting in a seat next to her bed.

"Ezra, I know you well enough to know what you're thinking. This is not your fault. This was just an unfortunate accident." Aria said firmly.

Ezra squeezed her hand. "But after everything I said to you..." he trailed off.

"You had every right to say those things. It was true. I should have told you. Love is all about trust, and how are you supposed to trust me when I hide things like that from you." Aria said.

"But you were in a really difficult position. That's a bombshell and you were trying to help. I don't blame you." Ezra replied.

Aria shook her head. "But I should have told you. You have every right to know something like this."

"It's okay, I know now and that's all that matters. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been in that kind of a position in the first place." Ezra said.

"How are you dealing with all of this?" Aria asked.

Ezra sighed. "To be honest, I don't know. I haven't even talked to Maggie yet, and it's all so...surreal."

Aria nodded. "I understand. Just remember, you're not alone. We'll get through this together."

Ezra smiled. "That's all I really need. And Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"No more secrets"

Aria stared into Ezra's eyes. "No more secrets." she promised.

Ezra smiled. "Good. Now you need to focus on getting better right now. Don't worry about me, or anyone else, just focus on getting better. I'm going to get your parents, they want to see you." he said getting up.

"Ezra, wait." Aria said.

Ezra turned around. "Yeah?"

"How's Spencer?" Aria asked.

Ezra hesitated. "We don't know yet, the doctor's haven't told us yet." he said finally.

Aria's smile evaporated. "This is all my fault."

Ezra sat back down and stroked her hair. "No, the roads were icy. It wasn't your fault."

Aria shook her head. "No, I'm the reason Spencer was even driving. I wanted to leave school and so we were going to her Nana's lake house. And she was talking to me. I can't even remember anything after that. All I know is that we wouldn't have been driving if I hadn't wanted to leave." Aria said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Ezra wiped her tears away. "No, this isn't your fault. You had no idea this was going to happen, and the roads were really bad. Trust me, even if you hadn't been talking, there was no way Spencer could have done anything." Ezra assured her.

Aria didn't say anything.

"Hey, look at me." Ezra said, tilting Aria's chin gently so he could look into her eyes. "This isn't you fault. Now, all I want you to worry about is getting better, okay?"

Aria nodded. "Okay." she said softly.

"I'm going to go get your parents, but I'll be in the waiting room. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Ezra said, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Aria smiled against his lips, running her good hand through his soft hair. After a moment, they broke apart.

"I'll be back, I promise." Ezra said, and with one last peck on her cheek, he left, Aria's parents coming in a moment later.

"Honey, how are you feeling?" Ella asked, coming to sit next to her.

"It's worse than it looks." Aria assured, smiling. "They gave me some painkillers for my arm and head, so it doesn't hurt very much right now."

"That's good." Ella said as Byron came around her bed and examined her forehead.

"My poor little girl." he said softly.

Aria smiled up at him. "I'm fine, really. It mostly only hurts when I try to think too hard. Or when I try to remember things."

"What are you trying to remember?" Ella asked, curiously.

"I can't remember the accident. All I remember is that Spencer and I were driving up to her lake house and then everything's blank until I arrived here. How did I get here, anyway?" Aria asked.

"Honey, Ezra saved your life."

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think and let me know if you have any suggestions for future chapters. I'd love to hear your ideas. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

_**Previously:**_

_"I can't remember the accident. All I remember is that Spencer and I were driving up to her lake house and then everything's blank until I arrived here. How did I get here, anyway?" Aria asked._

_"Honey, Ezra saved your life."_

**_Continued:_**

"He did?" Aria asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he was driving and he saw Spencer's car swerve out of control from the ice. The car flipped over and he called an ambulance and helped you out of the car. He was in the ambulance with you and he's been sitting here ever since he arrived. He's the one that called us and the Hastings'." Byron replied gently.

Aria looked at them, surprised. "He never told me that." she said softly.

Ella shrugged. "He probably thought you knew. Or maybe he just didn't want you to know so that you wouldn't act differently around him. Whatever it is, he really loves you. I can't ask for a better man for my daughter" she said, smiling.

"Me either. I know Ezra and I have had our differences, but someone who cares this much about you deserves to be with you." Byron said.

Aria looked surprised. "Really?"

Byron and Ella nodded.

"Thank you guys so much! If I could, I would hug you right now!" Aria said, smiling.

"That reminds me." Ella said. "The doctor said you need plently of rest, so we're going to leave now, but we'll be back. Get some sleep, okay sweetie."

Aria nodded and hesitated. "Do you think you could send Ezra back for a few minutes? I promise I'll go to sleep right after."

Ella looked at Byron, who hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Okay. But only a few minutes, you need to rest."

"Thanks!" Aria said happily as her parents left and Ezra re-entered.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"There's something I wanted to say to you first." Aria replied, taking his hand.

Ezra looked at her curiously. "And what might that be?"

"Thank you for saving my life." Aria said, looking into his eyes.

Ezra smiled uncomfortably. "How did you know?"

"My mom told me. Why didn't you tell me?" Aria asked.

Ezra sighed. "I didn't want you to feel like you owed me anything. I love you and I don't want you to think of me as the man who saved your life, I just want things to be the same between us, the way they've always been."

"But Ezra, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be here right now. You're nothing less of a hero!" Aria said.

"See? That's not what I want. The way you're looking at me. You're looking at me as if I'm someone you worship, rather than your equal. I just want to be Ezra, the same Ezra I've been to you for the past year." he said, lightly touching her cheek.

Aria nodded. "You still are the same Ezra to me. The way that I'm looking at you isn't like I worship you, it's admiration." she explained. "I admire your courage and it shows me that no matter what happens, I'll always have you with me." Aria said, looking into his deep blue eyes.

"Don't ever think otherwise. I'm forever yours and I'll always be there for you no matter what." Ezra said, leaning down to kiss her softly.

"I love you so much." Aria said when they broke apart.

"I love you too." Ezra said, caressing her long, brown hair. "Get some sleep." he said before placing one last kiss on her lips.

As he turned to leave, Aria grabbed his arm. "Wait. Stay with me. Please?"

Ezra hesitated. "Aria..."

"I'll sleep, I promise. I just need to know that you're right here when I do." Aria said, her eyes pleading.

Ezra sighed in defeat. "I can never say no to you." he said, sitting back down.

Aria smiled. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." Ezra murmured, stroking her hair.

Aria smiled as he squeezed her good hand and closed her eyes. She was asleep in minutes.

Ezra watched her as she slept peacefully, listening to her snoring softly. Even with uncombed hair, a hospital gown and a large bandage on her forehead, Aria still managed to take his breath away. She was beautiful to him, no matter how she looked.

After a while, a nurse came and told him visiting hours were over. Reluctantly, Ezra released Aria's hand and got up. He sat in the waiting room, where Veronica and Peter Hastings were still sitting. Ella and Byron had gone home to get some sleep and would be returning in a few hours. Hanna and Emily arrived a short while later, bringing coffee for the three of them, which they all took, gratefully.

"How are they?" Emily asked.

"Aria's doing well. She's sleeping right now, but she has a broken arm and some head trauma. The doctor said she can leave by the end of the week. We haven't heard anything about Spencer yet." Ezra replied.

Just then, a doctor whose nametag read _Dr. Walker_ walked into the waiting room. "Spencer Hastings." he called.

Veronica and Peter jumped to their feet, Hanna, Emily and Ezra following behind.

"How is my baby?" Veronica asked.

"Her condition is very severe but..." The doctor started.

"But?" Veronica prompted.

The doctor hesitated. "But...she has some severe injuries to her head as well as a broken leg and a broken rib. We think she may need surgery."

Mrs. Hastings gasped. "Oh, my poor baby." she cried.

"Her legs and ribs will heal over time, but she's going to need brain surgery. We're going to be running some tests to see if it's safe to conduct the surgery, which will take at least a week." The doctor explained, calmly.

Peter nodded, trying to hold himself together as his wife started crying into his chest. "W-What are the chances?"

Dr. Walker hesitated."There an 70% chance that she'll make it through the surgery. We have doctors who have performed this surgery before but it's very complex and delicate."

Everyone was silent at that, probably all thinking the same thing. _What if Spencer was part of the 30%_.

**Sorry to leave you all on a sad note. Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Good morning, sweetie." Ezra said, walking into Aria's room and kissing her forehead.

"Morning, handsome." Aria said, smiling.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, I guess. Still a little sore, but I can't wait to leave this place." Aria said, sighing. Then she smiled again. "Want to sign my cast?" she asked, reaching for a pack of permanent markers.

Ezra laughed. "Of course!" he said, taking a blue marker from her hand. He started to write.

"No peeking!" he said, noticing Aria watching. Aria laughed and rolled her eyes.

After several minutes of Ezra writing, and Aria impatiently telling him to hurry, Ezra capped the marker and sat down beside Aria. She automatically leaned into his chest, inhaling his scent. She moved her broken arm slightly so she could read the writing on it and smiled.

_It's a number._  
_It's a song._  
_It's a girl._

_Smooth._  
_Pearl joy packed._  
_Gold falafel,_  
_As through ice._

_It's four-thirty._  
_Morning with_  
_Phone calls._  
_It's deaf mute._

_It's cheap._  
_A foreign car._  
_Maybe bingo._  
_Lucky night?_  
_Something says_  
_It smells bad._

"B-26" she mumbled, looking up to meet Ezra's eyes.

Ezra pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "You are my B-26." he said, before gently kissing her.

"Do you guys do anything else?" a voice asked, and Aria and Ezra broke apart to see Hanna standing in the doorway, Emily right behind her.

"Hanna!" Emily said, shaking her head at her friend as Aria and Ezra both turned red.

"Hey guys!" Aria said, leaning forward to hug both of her friends.

"How are you?" Emily asked.

"A lot better. Still a little sore, but nothing too bad. The doctor says I can leave in a few days. That reminds me, how's Spencer?" Aria asked.

Ezra, Hanna and Emily all exchanged looks of discomfort.

"Guys?" Aria asked, panic edging into her voice. "Please, say something!" she pleaded, looking between each of them.

Emily and Hanna looked between each other and then stared at Ezra expectantly. Ezra sighed, and took Aria's hand.

"Spencer's condition is...complicated." Ezra began, hesitantly.

Aria waited for him to continue. "Complicated how?"

Ezra looked at Hanna and Emily before looking back at Aria. "She needs brain surgery." he said gently.

Aria gasped and looked at Ezra, then at her two friends for confirmation. They both looked down, unable to meet her tearful gaze. "Brain surgery?" she whispered, shocked.

Ezra pulled her against him and she cried into his shirt. She felt two more pairs of arms wrap around her, Hanna and Emily.

"What else did the doctor say?" Aria asked, still sobbing.

"They have to do some tests to see if she's ready for the surgery, and that will take at least a week. The surgery has a 70% success rate, and the surgeons have performed this kind of procedure before, so she's in good hands." Ezra assured her.

"But, what if..." Aria trailed off, not able to complete her sentence. Her unfinished thought hung in the air, everyone silent around her. Aria pulled Hanna and Emily closer to her, the three girls crying.

Ezra stood back for a moment, wondering if he should comfort Aria and the girls or if he should leave and let them have some time alone with each other. Before he could make his decision, his cell phone rang. He walked quietly out of the room and answered the call without looking at the caller I.D. first.

"Hello?"

"Ezra? Is that you?" a feminine voice asked.

Ezra stopped in his tracks, frozen. He recognized the voice immediately although it had been at least 4 years since he'd last heard it. "Maggie?"

**Hey y'all. So I'm sorry, I know this chapter was pretty short, but next chapter will be longer. Don't forget to review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

_Previously:_

_"Ezra? Is that you?" a feminine voice asked._

_Ezra stopped in his tracks, frozen. He recognized the voice immediately although it had been at least 4 years since he'd last heard it."Maggie?"_

_Now:_

"Ezra, I need to talk to you." Maggie said, sounding scared and nervous.

"About what? The fact that I have a son that you've hid from me for seven years?" Ezra said angrily.

"How did you-" Maggie started but Ezra cut her off.

"It doesn't matter _how_ I know, all that matter right now is that you lied to me for _seven years_ about something so huge. What the hell were you thinking?" Ezra said harshly.

"I was 18, and I was scared! And your mom came along and said she'd help me raise my baby if I promised not to contact you. What was I supposed to do?!" Maggie said, frustrated.

"I could have helped you raise him! Our son was fatherless for seven years, Maggie! Did you ever stop to think how that might impact him?" Ezra asked.

"EVERY DAMN DAY! Don't you think it hurts me when he asked me if his daddy would be at his birthday party every year since he was 4? Don't you think it hurts me when I see him staring at a picture of you, looking lost and upset? Don't you think it hurts me to know that I've deprived him of a father's love because I needed money to take care of him?" At this point she was sobbing hysterically.

"Maggie, listen to me. Just-just calm down for a moment, okay? We need to figure out what's going to happen next but we can't do that unless we're both in our right minds." Ezra said, letting his more sensible side take over. After Maggie's outburst, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the woman. It couldn't have been easy to be a single mom and 18, especially alone. He was still mad about this whole situation but he wanted to work through it, so he needed to keep his emotions in check.

"I'm so sorry." Maggie whispered into the phone.

"Shh, just take a deep breath." Ezra soothed. "Now, listen to me. I want to meet him."

Maggie sighed. She wasn't crying anymore, but Ezra could hear her sniffling through the phone. "I know. And Malcolm's been dying to meet you for years. Just...can I have some time to talk to him about this first? Just a few days, please?" Maggie asked, sounding desperate.

Ezra thought for a moment. As much as he wanted to meet his son, it was only fair to give Maggie a chance to try and explain some of the complicated situation to Malcolm. He had waited all these years, a few more days wouldn't kill him. Besides, Aria would be getting discharged in a day and maybe, if she was strong enough, she could go with him. Ezra didn't think he could face this alone. "Fine, you have until the weekend." he said firmly.

"Thank you so much, Ezra! I'll talk to Malcolm and you'll meet him soon. He looks a lot like you, he has your eyes." Maggie said, and Ezra could hear the smile in her voice. He smiled at the thought of meeting his little boy.

"I can't wait to meet him." Ezra said, before hanging up.

***PLL***

"Everything okay?" Aria asked, as Ezra walked back into the room. She could tell that he'd been crying, his eyes gave that much away. But he didn't seem sad exactly.

"That was Maggie. Aria, I-I'm going to meet my son in three days." Ezra said, looking up at his girlfriend who reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"That's amazing! How do you feel?" Aria asked.

"I honestly don't know. Everything's just so...surreal. I'm excited, scared, happy, nervous, and about a million other things." Ezra said, sounding lost.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine. Malcolm's going to love you and you're going to be a great father." Aria said, smiling reassuringly at him. Ezra lifted his hand to push a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"Thank you. I honestly don't know what I would do without you." Ezra said, love and affection evident in his gaze.

"Hey, I'll always be by your side. The doctor said I can leave tomorrow, do you want me to come with you when you meet him?" Aria asked.

Ezra smiled. "You're conveniently forgetting the strict orders for bed-rest."

Aria laughed. "Darn it! You always manage to catch me." she teased, then became serious. "But seriously, Ezra if you want, I can come with you. I feel totally fine, and you're more important to me than some silly bruises." she said. Her attempt to look strong utterly failed when she winced while leaning back against the bed.

"Aria, I saw that. And you're not going anywhere like this. I'll tell you what, I'll ask Maggie to bring Malcolm to my apartment so that you can be there. I really don't want to meet him without you. I need all the support I can get." Ezra said. "Thank you for being there for me. I know it can't be easy finding out that your boyfriend has a son, but I'm really glad that I have you through all this. I don't think I would be able to do this without you." he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

"I'll always be there for you, no matter what." Aria promised.

"I love you so, so much." Ezra said, looking into Aria's hazel eyes.

"I love you too." Aria said, gently pressing a kiss to his lips before leaning into his chest. They were sitting like this when Ella walked into the hospital room.

"Ezra, could I borrow you for just a minute?" she asked. Aria sensed something was wrong right away. She knew her mom well enough to know when something was up.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just needed Ezra's help for a minute." she assured her daughter but Aria could tell she was lying.

"Mom, please don't lie to me. What's going on?" Aria asked, dreading what was coming next.

"We'll be back." Ella said, leaving the room.

Ezra got up, promising to be back soon. He followed Ella into the hallway and Aria could see them talking through the window of her room. At one point, Ella started to cry and Aria just wanted to get up and hug her mother. Byron came then and he comforted his wife, letting her cry into his chest.

Ezra came back a moment later, his face white. He sat down next to Aria, taking her hand in his.

"Ezra, what's going on? Why is my mom crying?" Aria asked, fear making her voice shake.

"Aria..." Ezra looked at her, tears in his own eyes.

"Ezra, please just tell me what's going on." she begged.

"Spencer's...Spencer's dead."

**Please don't hate me for this, I know many of us love Spencer but I had to do this. Please review and don't stop reading yet. There's more to come!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Aria stood in her room, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror. Her black dress made her red, puffy eyes and white cast even more noticeable as she tried to hold herself together before her best friend's funeral. She had been released from the hospital the day before, and she had been crying non-stop ever since Ezra had told her about Spencer. Aria couldn't help but feel responsible for the death of her friend. If it wasn't for her, Spencer wouldn't have left the school in the first place. And it didn't help that, while Spencer lay in a coffin, Aria was standing in her bedroom with only a broken arm and a few cuts and scrapes. Her friends and family had tried to convince her that this wasn't her fault, but Aria wished more than anything that she was the one in the coffin rather than Spencer.

Just the thought of seeing her best friend's lifeless body brought a fresh set of tears to her eyes, and Aria sat down on her bed, curled up into a ball and wept. Aria was too upset numb with pain to realize that someone had entered her room and had picked her up, holding her silently. She buried her head in Ezra's chest and cried. Ezra didn't say a word, just held her tight in his arms, rubbing her back, allowing her to let her emotions out, which was just what she needed. Aria cried and cried until tears would not come out anymore and her throat was dry and sore. She knew she looked like a mess, but she didn't care, and after about an hour, she felt Ezra pick her up and carry her down the stairs and into his car, driving her to the church.

When they arrived, Aria saw Hanna and Emily, their eyes were equally as red. They had tissues in their hands, dabbing at their eyes every few seconds. Aria joined them, Ezra leaving her so she could be alone with her friends. When they saw her, Hanna and Emily hugged Aria, the three of them clinging to each other as though their lives depended on it.

Their sobs echoed through the church as everyone gathered inside, finding seats, waiting for the service to begin. A large portrait of Spencer was perched at the front beside the coffin, red roses framing it. Spencer's family sat in the front pew with them, Toby sitting beside Emily, who sobbed into his chest.

The service began at noon, the priest's voice echoing throughout the church, saying prayers and kind words about Spencer. The girls held hands throughout the service, one of them occasionally squeezing the others' as the priest said something that brought back memories of their deceased friend.

After the priest finished, Melissa went up, talking about how she and Spencer had been close as children, but had lost that bond as they grew older and rivalries began to form. She talked about how she regretted the way she treated her younger sister and shared some of her favourite memories of the two of them. Aria could feel a teardrop on her hand as Emily cried at the mention of a vacation she had accompanied Spencer on. Aria squeezed her hand as Hanna wiped tears out of her eyes, trying to stop the rest of her tears from flowing out.

After Melissa was finished, the priest asked Aria to say a few words, as requested by Mr. and Mrs. Hastings. Aria stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in her paper as she walked slowly to the podium. As she stood at the podium, Aria looked out at the audience, recognizing the solemn faces of her classmates and Spencer's distant relatives she had met at Spencer's house. She looked at her friends and Spencer's family, who all had tear-stained faces. Aria took a deep breath and began:

" A best friend is someone you can count on, someone you can look to in time of need, whatever however small the problem is. A best friend is someone who you consider to be family, someone you can always talk to, a shoulder to cry on. That's what Spencer was to me, she was like an older sister to me. In fact, she used to call us Sparia because we made a perfect team and we were as close as sisters. She was always there for me, giving me advice on things ranging between whether my hair looks better in a certain style, to things as important as my relationships. I could always talk to her about anything. She was my rock, the one that held everything together. She held us all together. Without her, I wouldn't be half as strong as I am now. She was always there to protect me, to give me an extra burst of confidence, a pep-talk before an exam, anything I needed. Spencer was one of the most reliable friends I had. In fact, the day of the accident, she was taking me to her family lake house because I was upset. She was willing to just drop everything in order to make sure her friend was okay. Spencer Hastings is a hero and, although she isn't physically still with us, a part of her will remain in our hearts forever." As Aria spoke these words, she didn't even glance at her papers, barely remembering what had been on them in the first place. She stood there, her face wet with the tears that had spilled over during her speech. She walked away from the podium, taking a seat between Hanna and Emily, who both hugged her, the three of them in their own world of pain and loss.

There were a few more speeches, mainly from family members who had grown up with Spencer, as well as one from Toby. When they were finished speaking, Spencer's parents approached the coffin, saying their last words to their daughter. Next was Melissa, sobbing as she stared down at her sister's lifeless form. The girls approached Spencer's coffin next, clutching each other's arms as they stared at their best friend who looked as though she was sleeping peacefully, if not for the lack of moment in her chest. Aria pushed a lock of hair off Spencer's face before breaking down and crying, holding onto her friends for support. Several guests watched her, while most averted their gaze.

The people in the church gradually lessened and soon, the only people left were Spencer's family, some relatives, Toby, the girls, Ezra, Caleb and Paige, although the last three stood off to the side, not wanting to intrude but still wanting to be there for their significant other.

Aria said her goodbyes to her friends and Spencer's family, giving them all long hugs, sharing in their sorrow. Afterwards, she approached Spencer's coffin and whispered a tearful last goodbye to her best friend. She stood there for awhile, not wanting to leave her friend, wishing that she was still there with her and knowing that, deep down, part of Spencer will always remain in her heart and she that her friend was watching them from heaven. Before leaving, Aria placed a little stuffed bear in Spencer's coffin. When they were seven, Aria had been sleeping over at Spencer's house during a thunderstorm and Aria had always been terrified of thunderstorms.

_"__My mom said that the power of love can beat anything and I love you so, whenever you're scared, this teddy bear will always keep you safe." _Spencer had said, wiping the tears from seven-year-old Aria's cheeks.

Aria remembered that day like it was only yesterday, although it had been 12 years ago. That memory had given her the power to get through so many difficult times, and she knew there would be countless more times when the words of seven-year-old Spencer would give her the strength to face the obstacles life would throw her way. This made Aria remember that, no matter what happened, Spencer was always in her heart and she was sure her best friend was watching over them.

**Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Aria? Wake up honey, you have a doctor's appointment." Ezra said, gently shaking her.

Aria groaned. She hadn't slept properly in weeks, ever since she'd found out about Spencer, and it was really starting to affect her. She had bags under her eyes and was very irritable. "I don't want to go back to the hospital." she said.

"Aria, we need to make sure you're okay." Ezra reasoned.

"No, I don't care if I'm okay or not." Aria replied stubbornly. She couldn't care less about her health, she just wanted Spencer back.

"Sweetie, you have to go." Ezra said firmly. He gently pulled her to a sitting position, Aria slapping his arm and yelling, but Ezra refusing to let go.

"Just leave me alone!" Aria yelled.

"I can't. Aria, you have to get out of this bed sooner or later." Ezra said.

"I prefer later. Or never." Aria replied.

"Aria, Spencer wouldn't want you to act like this." Ezra said quietly.

"How the hell do you know what Spencer would or wouldn't want?! You didn't know her as well as I did, so don't pretend you know her really well because you don't!" Aria screamed.

Ezra was surprised by her outburst but he spoke. "Aria, I get that you're upset. Spencer was your best friend, and I know that you're going through a lot right now, but I know Spencer well enough to know that she wouldn't want you to spend weeks in bed, crying."

Aria glared at him, and Ezra braced himself when she opened her mouth. But then, to Ezra's surprise, Aria didn't yell or scream. Instead she broke down crying, falling against Ezra's chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. Ezra automatically tightened his hold on her, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words into her hair.

"It's okay baby, we'll get through this." Ezra murmured into her hair.

"I-I'm sorry. I've been really hard to be around lately." Aria said into his chest.

"It's okay. You've been through a lot." Ezra said gently, rubbing her back in circular motions.

"I just, I miss Spencer so much! She was my best friend and I need her." Aria sobbed.

"It's okay. We'll get through this, one day at a time. I'll be right beside you every step of the way." Ezra promised, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

Aria held Ezra closer to her. "Thank you." she whispered.

"Always." Ezra replied, kissing her forehead. "Do you think you can handle going to the doctor's today?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should." she said, reluctantly pulling away from Ezra's comforting embrace and getting up.

***PLL***

"Okay, Miss Montgomery, it appears that your injuries have mostly healed and that we can take you off the painkillers now." Dr. Kingston said, writing something on a clipboard.

Aria smiled and felt Ezra squeeze her hand. She looked up at him to see him smiling back at her. "So are we free to go?" she asked the doctor.

"Not quite. There was one other thing that we wanted to talk to you about. We understand that, in the accident you lost someone very dear to you." The doctor said gently.

Aria stiffened.

"I can see some signs of depression. I think it would be best if you saw a psychiatrist. Just once a week for about a month and after that, the psychiatrist will evaluate your mental health and from there we can decide whether or not you should continue seeing them."

"I'm not crazy." Aria said quietly.

"Ms. Montgomery, I'm not trying to say you're mentally unstable or anything of that sort. But you've been through a lot, and we think it would be best if you talked to a professional." Dr. Kingston said carefully.

Ara looked down and didn't respond.

"We'll consider it and get back to you." Ezra said, rubbing circles into Aria's palm, knowing it would soothe her.

Dr. Kingston looked at Ezra, then back at Aria, nodding. "Okay, just give me a call and let me know you decision. You're free to go. It was nice to see you both."

Ezra shook his hand. "Thank you. Have a good day." he said, leading Aria out of the room, who didn't even say goodbye.

When they were seated in the car, Ezra turned to Aria. "You okay?"

"I'm not crazy." Aria replied, looking Ezra in the eyes, daring him to disagree.

"I know you're not. Dr. Kingston doesn't think you're crazy either, we just want what's best for you." Ezra said.

"I'm not going."

"Can you at least consider it?"

Aria shook her head. "Last time I went to a psychiatrist wasn't exactly a great experience." Aria said, referring to Dr. Sullivan.

"But there's no more A." Ezra said. He wasn't sure if he imagine it, but he thought he saw a change in Aria's expression. "Is there?"

"No." Aria said quickly. "There isn't." Ezra stared closely at Aria, and he could feel she was lying.

"Aria, look at me." Ezra said.

Aria looked up at him, "What?"

"Is there still an A?"

"No." Aria said, and Ezra was certain she was lying. He could see the fear deep in her eyes.

"You're lying to me." he stated.

"Why would you-"

"I know you well enough to know when you're lying." Ezra said. "Aria why didn't you tell me?" Aria opened her mouth to respond but Ezra cut her off. "And don't even think of lying again."

Aria hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "It was for your own safety. You don't know the things that A's capable of."

"And what about your safety?" Ezra said, angrily. "How could you just lie to my face like that so many times?"

"You think it's easy?!" Aria practically yelled. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep this from you?! The only reason I was able to was because I knew that it was better than putting you in danger!"

"But I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, not the other way around!" Ezra argued.

"See! This is exactly what I didn't want! I knew that you would just start worrying about me and you would put your own safety at risk to make sure I was safe. And I can't have you doing that! I can't be the reason you get hurt, especially not after Spencer! If it wasn't for me she could have been alive, and I hate myself for it, but I will NOT let that happen to you too." Aria said, tears streaming down her face.

Ezra stared at her. "Honey, Spencer's death was not your fault." he said, staring into her eyes. He gently ran his hand along her cheek, wiping her tears away. "That was because of the ice, nothing else."

"But I'm the reason she was driving. If it weren't for me she..." Aria's voice cracked and she felt her throat close as more tears fell from her eyes.

"Hey, look at me." Ezra said, tilting her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "What happened was an unfortunate accident. Neither of you knew what was going to happen, you can't blame yourself for not knowing the future." he said, kissing her forehead.

Aria rested her head against his shoulder. "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier. A part of me will always feel responsible."

"That's the one thing about you. You have this need to fix things and if you can't, you find a way to make it your fault. But this, you can't hate yourself for this. And, in time you'll realize that." Ezra said.

Aria nodded slightly. "I guess you're right...Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about A." Aria said quietly.

"It's okay, you were just trying to help." Ezra started, but Aria cut him off.

"Wait, I wasn't done. I'm sorry for not telling you, but I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me that you won't put yourself in danger to try and keep me safe."

Ezra hesitated, then shook his head. "I can't make that promise. I can't just stand by and let you get hurt."

"Ezra..."

"No."

Aria sighed. "Ezra, I need to know that you're not going to throw yourself headfirst into a deadly situation because you want to help me."

"I won't do anything stupid. But I'm not going to stand by and let you get hurt." Ezra said firmly. "I want to protect you."

"I get that. But you need to be careful. Will you at least promise me that?"

Ezra nodded. "I promise to be careful."

"Thanks."

Ezra hesitated a moment before asking. "How long has this A been harassing you?"

"A few months after Mona went to jail." Aria sighed. "We were having a sleepover..." Aria told Ezra the story of Emily getting drunk and Allison's grave being dug up.

"Oh my God!" Ezra said, once she'd finished.

"I know. We were all so terrified." Aria said, shuddering at the memory of all the things A had done to her and her friends.

Ezra pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay, I'm here and I'll make sure A doesn't hurt you anymore. You're safe now." he murmured.

**Hope you like this chapter. Sorry, I havent updated in a few days, been really busy with school. Let me know what you think about A being in this story.**

**1 More thing. For those of you that haven't heard, there's been bombing and fires in Boston so pray for the safety of the citizens. This is really sad that people do things like this.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

_Zzzz...Zzzz...Zzzz_

Aria awoke to the sound of a phone vibrating. She shifted in bed, careful not to wake Ezra up as she picked up the phone. It was Ezra's.

"Hello?"

"Hi, um, is this Ezra's phone?" A woman's voice asked.

"Yeah...Maggie?" Aria asked.

"Aria?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry for making you lie to Ezra about Malcolm!" Maggie said into the phone. "I really feel bad about that, especially after everything that happened." she said, and Aria could tell from her voice that Maggie really did feel bad.

"It's okay. Ezra and I managed to sort things out and we're okay now. Besides, it can't have been easy for you either." she said. Although Aria didn't like that Maggie made her lie, she couldn't be mad at the woman. Maggie had been through so much already.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about what happened to your friend." Maggie said gently.

Aria stiffened. "Thank you." she said in a tone that showed she really didn't want to talk about Spencer.

"Um, sorry. Anyway, I just called to tell Ezra that I talked to Malcolm and we're ready for him to meet Ezra. So could you just let Ezra know and tell him to call me before coming?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll let him know." Aria replied, relieved that Maggie changed the subject.

"You're welcome to join us if you want." Maggie offered.

"Thanks. I'll talk to Ezra." Aria replied.

Once Aria hung up the phone, she placed it back on the night table and lay back down. She felt Ezra's arms tighten around her waist as she snuggled against his chest.

"Who was that?" he asked sleepily.

"Maggie. She talked to Malcolm and she said you can meet him." Aria replied, turning her body around so she was facing him.

Ezra took this in for a moment. "Will you come with me? I don't think I can handle this alone."

"Of course. I'll be right by your side." Aria promised, smiling up at him. Ezra pulled her closer to him.

"This is one of the many reasons why I love you." Ezra said, kissing her forehead.

Aria giggled as she put her head on her hand. "Hmm, and what are some of the many other reasons?" she asked, smiling.

"Well*..." Ezra said, sitting up so he could pick Aria up and put her on his lap. "You're adorable." he said, kissing her. "You're beautiful." He kissed her again. "And you are the most caring person I know." he teased and Aria playfully slapped his arm.

"Don't forget nice, hilarious, and naturally amazing." Aria joked.

"Hmm, let's not forget modest." Ezra said, rolling his eyes and Aria gently slapped his arm.

"Do I detect sarcasm, Mr. Fitz?" Aria asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Possibly." Ezra replied. "Oh and I forgot one more thing."

"What's that?" Aria asked.

"You have the most adorable laugh in the world." Ezra said, tickling Aria, who laughed uncontrollably.

Ezra! Stop!" Aria shouted between giggled, trying to grab his hands and stop him.

"What's that? You want me to tickle you harder? Okay!" Ezra teased, tickling her harder and harder as she continued to laugh.

"Ezra!...My...Stomach! Stop!" Aria shrieked, finally getting a hold of Ezra's hands. She held them with her own, as Ezra moved them to cup her face in his hands and place and gently kiss on her lips.

"I would do anything to hear that laugh and see that smile." Ezra said, before placing his lips back on his love's.

***PLL***

"Are you okay?" Aria asked, placing her hand on Ezra's. They were sitting in his car, outside Maggie's house.

Ezra nodded slightly then shook his head. "I don't know." he said.

"Hey, look at me." Aria said and Ezra looked up at her. "Everything will be okay. You're going to meet your son today and he's going to love you, just like I do. Everything's going to be fine." she assured him.

Ezra took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his nerves. He felt Aria squeeze his hand before his eyes opened and, with a grateful smile to Aria, he got out of the car. They went up the front walk and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a nervous Maggie.

"Hi."

"Hi." Aria replied and Ezra nodded.

"Are you ready?" Maggie asked.

Ezra looked at Aria, who gave him a reassuring smile, before nodding. "Yeah, I guess."

Maggie led them into the living room where Malcolm was playing with his toy cars. "Sweetie, someone's here to see you."

Malcolm looked up, staring at Aria and Ezra. "Hello." he said, standing up and walking over to them.

Ezra bent down to Malcolm's height. "Hey buddy." he said, holding out his hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Malcolm shook his hand and turned to his mother, then back to Ezra. "Are you my dad?" he asked.

Ezra paused for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah...I am."

Malcolm stared at Ezra for a few moments before he wrapped his tiny arms around his father's torso. Ezra looked surprised but recovered quickly, hugging him back. Aria and Maggie watched the father-son exchange with tears in their eyes.

When Ezra and Malcolm broke apart, Malcolm asked if he wanted to play with his train set, to which Ezra agreed, smiling widely. Malcolm even asked Aria if she wanted to play with them and the three of them started playing. Aria was the conductor, Malcolm and Ezra moving the train around the tracks, laughing and playing.

They played trains, watched a movie, and even went to the park for a bit. The whole time Malcolm refused to leave Ezra's side for even a moment, insisting that he sit in Ezra's lap during the movie, that Ezra push him on the swings at the park, that Ezra give him his lunch. Ezra happily agreed to everything, happy that his son loved him so much already. When it was finally time for Aria and Ezra to leave, Ezra's disappointment was visible on his face as he said goodbye to his son.

"Dad?" Malcolm called as they were leaving.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Do you love me?" Malcolm asked, staring at Ezra with his innocent blue eyes.

"Of course I do." Ezra replied, ruffling Malcolm's hair.

"Then why didn't you come before?" Malcolm asked.

Everyone was silent for a moment. They had all secretly wished he wouldn't ask that question for nobody was prepared to answer it. Ezra looked to Maggie for help, but she just shrugged helplessly.

"Um...the thing is...I couldn't come sooner because..." Ezra struggled to come up with an answer. "because...I was scared that you wouldn't like me." he finished. It wasn't the full truth, but it wasn't exactly a lie. Ezra had put off calling Maggie for a few days after he found out because he was afraid that, if he really did have a son, he wouldn't like him. It was because of Aria that he'd managed to work up the courage to finally call.

"Don't worry daddy, I'll never hate you." Malcolm said, hugging his father, who hugged him back, tears in his eyes.

"Good. Now I can stop being scared." Ezra said, smiling as he hugged his son back. "And I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Promise?" Malcolm said, holding up his pinky.

"Promise." Ezra replied, twisting his pinky around Malcolm's in a pinky promise.

**Okay, I know I haven't been updating as frequently as usual but I have a lot of school stuff to take care of at the moment, so I'll try to update soon but I don't know when. Also, if you have ANY IDEAS for the next chapter, I would love to hear them because I have such bad writer's block right now, it took two days just to come up with this chapter.** **So PLEASE help me out! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey y'all! So sorry I haven't updated for awhile! School has been really hectic lately and I'm hoping that I'll be able to post more often soon. **

**Shoutout to Ayoungnovelist and my cousin Sid, who inspired this chapter :)**

Chapter 9:

_"Spencer!" Aria cried weakly. She could see Spencer lying lifelessly in the car wreck. She tried to reach out to her best friend but her body refused to work. Every time she tried to move, her vision started to blur. She was in so much pain, especiall__y her arm._

_"Somebody please help!" Aria tried to yell, but it came out as a whisper. She was just so weak. "Spencer, please wake up!"_

_All of a sudden, she could feel someone picking her up, taking her away from her best friend. "Spencer!" she tried to say, but she couldn't talk, everything went black._

Aria woke up from her dream, sobbing. She sat up, taking in her surrounding. She was on Ezra's couch. A quick glance at the clock told her it was 4:30, which meant that Ezra would still be at Hollis.

Aria sat there and cried, with one thought in her head. "If she had just managed to get Spencer's name out of her mouth when she was picked up, would her friend still be alive?" Aria still couldn't shake the feeling that she was somehow responsible for her friend's death. She'd been having this same dream for days, and every time she woke up from it, she would sit there and cry. Ezra didn't know about her dreams because she'd been really careful to hide it from him so he wouldn't suggest therapy again.

Aria couldn't handle these dreams anymore. She could barely live with herself and every time she woke up from her nightmare, she would have the urge to kill herself. But she could never bring herself to go through with it. She did something else instead, and she knew that if Ezra or her friends ever found out, she'd be in huge trouble. Not to mention they would probably force her to go to a psychiatrist, which she really didn't want. Aria wasn't crazy, no matter what anyone said. So she hid her secret from everyone, hoping and praying that they would never find out.

***PLL***

Aria got out of the shower feeling somewhat better. There was something about the hot water that soothed her, not to mention it gave her an excuse for having red eyes. She dried her hair and dressed, stepping out into the apartment. Ezra wasn't home yet, but he would probably arrive any minute, so Aria started to fix dinner, turning to radio on while she worked so Ezra would think she was happy when he arrived. She even started singing along, stirring the pot of spaghetti sauce. Aria had managed to work to the beat of the music and was lost in the motions that she didn't even notice the door open.

When she felt strong arms circling her waist, Aria screamed, knocking over an opened packet of raw spaghetti, noodles flying all over the floor as her hand flew back and hit Ezra's nose.

"Ow!" he cried, holding his face.

"Oh my God! Ezra, I'm so sorry. You scared me!" Aria said, moving his hands back so she could examine the injury.

"It's okay. I'm fine. Are you alright?" Ezra asked, peering at her face closely as she examined his nose. Blood was dripping from it and it looked like it was starting to swell.

"No, you're not fine. Your nose is bleeding and it's swelling. Here, let me grab some ice." Aria said, handing Ezra a wad of tissues. She turned to reach into the freezer for some ice. Ezra leaned against the edge of the counter, pressing the tissues his throbbing nose.

Aria handed him the ice wrapped in a towel. "I'm so sorry." she said, tears forming in her eyes. Why did she keep hurting her loved ones? What was wrong with her?! Before she knew it, Aria was crying again.

"It's not as bad as it looks, really." Ezra assured her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Please don't cry." he pleaded, pulling her closer to him.

Aria shook her head and pulled away. "I'm sorry." she said, grabbing her coat.

"Where are you going?" Ezra asked.

"I-I need to go." Aria replied, putting her things in her purse.

"Wait a second." Ezra said, confused. "Aria, I'm fine, really. You don't have to leave."

Aria nodded. "I know...I just, I need to go. I'll be back later." she said, shutting the door as she left.

Ezra just stood there, confused. He wanted to run after her, but he knew that she needed her space too. He just hoped she would stop shutting him out and talk to him eventually.

***PLL***

"I thought I would find you here." Hanna said, coming to sit down next to Aria on the green grass, overlooking a stream. This was Aria's favourite spot to come and just think or get away from everyone. It was always quiet as it was deep in a forested area. Aria and Ezra had stumbled upon it once when they had gone hiking.

"What are you doing here?" Aria asked, looking up at her friend.

"Ezra called me. He's worried about you." Hanna replied. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Aria stared off into the distance, wondering how much she should tell her friend. She couldn't tell her the secret that she'd been keeping, but Hanna wouldn't back down with nothing.

"Aria, you can talk to me." Hanna said, resting a hand on Aria's arm.

Aria took a deep breath. "Do I hurt everyone I care about?"

"Of course not!" Hanna replied instantly. She was about to continue but Aria spoke.

"Really? Because I feel like everyone I spend time with ends up getting hurt. Spencer, Ezra-"

"Wait, what's wrong with Ezra?" Hanna asked, confused.

"I accidentally smacked him in the nose and it got all bloody and swollen." Aria replied, absently running her fingers through the grass.

"Hey, accidents happen." Hanna comforted her. "I once made Caleb break his wrist."

"Yeah, but you didn't get your best friend killed." Aria mumbled quietly, not intending for Hanna to hear, but she did.

"Aria, you can't blame yourself for what happened to Spencer. I know it hurts, and you feel like you could have prevented it, but you're not the reason she got into that accident. The roads were slippery and she lost control." Hanna said, repeating what everyone had been telling Aria over and over since she was in the hospital.

"But why is it that Spencer had to die and I' perfectly fine? I was in the car too. Spencer was just trying to help a friend. She shouldn't have been the one to get hurt, it should have been-"

"Don't say it." Hanna warned. "Aria, you can't do this to yourself. I'm sure Spencer doesn't want you walking around and blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

Aria sat quietly, wishing Hanna would just leave her alone. Everyone was always trying to convince her that she was innocent, that this wasn't her fault, she couldn't have stopped it. But Aria knew that she could have. If she had just tried to control her emotions, Spencer would have been alive. She turned to Hanna.

"I have to go."

"Aria, you can't keep shutting us all out. We're here to help you."

"I'm not shutting you guys out." Aria said.

"Yes you are!" Hanna replied. "You barely talk to me and Em, your family hasn't seen you in days, and Ezra's freaking out because he's worried about you and he's not sure whether to give you space or to push you to talk to him. You don't have to go through this alone Aria, we're here for you."

Aria stared at her friend for a moment before wrapping her arms around her. She cried into her friend's shoulder, her sobs the only sound echoing through the clearing. "Thanks Hanna. You're a great friend."

Hanna hugged her back, running her hands soothingly up and down her friend's back. "How about you spend the night at my place?"

Aria hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "Thanks but I should probably go back to Ezra's. I left really abruptly and I'm sure he's wondering where I've gone."

Hanna nodded. "Okay, text me later?"

"Sure." Aria said, heading back into the forest in the direction of her car.

***PLL***

Aria didn't go back to Ezra's. She drove around for hours, not sure where to go. She finally stopped at a diner, just outside of Rosewood, getting a cup of coffee and some gas. She didn't stay, she just filled up her tank, grabbed the cup of coffee and started driving again.

_Beep! Beep!_

Her phone had been going off repeatedly for the past few hours. Ezra had been trying to get a hold of her, texting and calling repeatedly but Aria never answered, just continued driving. At this point she was exhausted and the beeping was getting harder and harder to ignore. Aria grabbed her phone from the cup holder and checked the latest text.

_Aria, please call me. I'm worried about you and I just want to know that you're safe. -Ezra_

Aria sent a quick text back.

_I'm fine, just needed to clear my head. I'll be back in the morning. -Aria_

Not even a minute after she sent it, Ezra responded.

_Where are you?_ _- Ezra_

_An hour outside of Rosewood. Going to stay in a motel for the night. Too tired to drive back. -Aria_

_Do you want me to come pick you up? -Ezra_

_No, I just need some time alone. Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow -Aria_

_Okay, love you -Ezra_

_You too - Aria_

Aria turned off her phone and pulled into the parking lot of a cheap motel called _The Lost Woods Resort._ It looked kind of creepy but Aria was too tired to care. She checked in and went to her room. As soon as she was inside, she dropped her purse onto a chair, took her coat off and jumped into bed.

As she lay in bed, waiting for sleep to overcome her, Aria felt the cuts that ran the length of her arm. They still stung a little, fairly new. Aria felt one particular one near the inside of her elbow. She had made that one that afternoon when she'd woken up from her dream. Feeling the many cuts gave Aria a sense of calm, as though she was somehow making up for Spencer's pain by inflicting pain upon her. She knew that Ezra or her friends wouldn't understand and would probably rush her to the psychiatrist if they knew that Aria was cutting herself, so she had to be very careful. She cut herself in area's that were easily concealed, always wearing long-sleeved shirts, refusing to borrow Ezra's t-shirts when she slept, instead wearing his hoodies. She had been sneaky enough so far, and she felt that she could continue without getting caught.

Aria continued to stroke her cuts until her exhaustion finally took over and she fell into a deep sleep.

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for it. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, didn't get a chance to proofread. Let me know if I made any mistakes and I will change them. Don't forget to review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

"Morning." Aria said entering Ezra's apartment with coffee and bagels. "I brought breakfast."

Ezra immediately rushed over to her. He had a bandage over his nose. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, worried.

Aria laughed. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" she asked, examining his nose.

"Don't worry about my nose, it'll be fine. What happened yesterday?" he asked, concerned.

Aria shrugged. "I don't know, I just...needed to be alone."

Ezra watched her closely, debating over his response.

"Ezra, I'm fine, really." Aria said, forcing a smile.

Ezra sighed. "Aria, please don't shut me out. If there's anything, _anything_ you need to talk about, I'm here for you."

"GOD! What is with everyone saying that I'm shutting them out! Like, can't a girl just want some time to herself without everyone getting on her case." Aria exploded.

Ezra flinched, surprised. "I didn't mean to-"

"Whatever." Aria snapped. "I'm going to be late for school." she said before walking out.

"Aria, wait." Ezra pleaded, running after her.

Aria turned around.

"Aria, I'm not trying to upset you, It's just that you've been so...distant lately. I'm worried about you." Ezra said, taking her hand.

Aria sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that everyone's been so protective and clingy ever since...the accident."

"I'm sorry. We've all just been really concerned about you. Aria, the day of the accident, when I saw you in that car I was so scared. I thought I might lose you." Ezra said, his voice cracking. "I was so scared and I just don't want to see you in any more pain."

When he said the last part, Aria's thoughts immediately flew to the marks on her arms. Ezra's hands were so close to her arm and if he knew just what was under the jean jacket she was wearing, he would freak out. Aria tried to push these thoughts out of her mind as she looked up at Ezra, hoping that he couldn't read her expression.

"I love you so much." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and caressing his cheek with her thumbs. "And I know that you're just trying to help but I just need some time to myself. I'm still trying to adjust to life after everything that happened and there's parts of this that I need to do on my own."

Ezra nodded, pushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. "I understand. Just remember that I'm here for you, okay?"

Aria nodded and smiled. "Always."

***PLL***

Aria sat in English class, texting Hanna who was sitting on the other side of the room.

_H.M: Wanna go shopping after skl with me and Em?_

_A.M: Nah, I think I'll pass. Next time._

_H.M: Pls? I need to pick a dress for the dance._

_A.M: Idk, I'm not really up for it._

_H.M: Do u already hav ur dress?_

_A.M: Not going to the dance._

_H.M: WHY?!_

_A.M: Busy_

_H.M: No way, ur going. U hav to._

_A.M: Han..._

_H.M: No, my locker after skl._

"Miss. Marin could you please tell us what the difference between a metaphor and a simile is?" Mrs. Welch asked.

Hanna looked up from her phone. "Um...it's um..." she looked helpless, her cheeks turning red.

"Now if you would stop texting and actually pay attention, maybe you would know the answer." Mrs. Welch said sternly, giving Hanna a look.

"Sorry" Hanna mumbled.

"What about you Miss Montgomery?" Mrs. Welch asked, turning to Aria.

Aria smiled innocently. "A simile is a comparison that uses the words "like" or "as" and a metaphor is just a comparison."

"Very good Miss Montgomery!" Mrs. Welch said, beaming at Aria, who smirked at Hanna.

Hanna rolled her eyes playfully and mouthed "Nerd."

Aria stuck her tongue out at her friend, laughing quietly.

***PLL***

"I can't believe I let you drag me here." Aria said, rolling her eyes as Hanna tried on yet another dress.

"Quit complaining and try this on." Hanna said, handing Aria a short, strapless purple dress.

"But I'm not even going." Aria protested, trying to hide her panic at the fact that the dress didn't have sleeves.

"Yes you are!" Hanna and Emily said in unison.

"Guys, the dance is tomorrow night. I didn't even tell Ezra about it yet, he might already have plans." Aria protested.

"Let me take care of that." Hanna said, pushing Aria into the change room.

"Wait!" Aria shrieked, looking around wildly. "I want that one!" she said, pointing to an ugly brown dress with long sleeves.

Hanna scrunched her nose up. "No way! Come on, please just try the purple one on?"

Emily sensed Aria's discomfort. "Maybe we should look around some more?"

Aria nodded, relieved. "Yeah."

Hanna looked like she was going to protest but then Aria added "If I find a dress I like, I'll go to the dance. Deal?"

Hanna and Emily nodded, smiling.

So the girls began their search for the perfect dress.

***PLL***

"Ezra?" Aria called, looking around the apartment.

"Just a minute." Ezra called from the bathroom.

Aria set down her bags, taking off her coat. After an hour and many dress suggestions from Hanna and Emily, Aria had found a black, full-sleeve dress that Hanna and Emily approved of so she rushed to the cash register and bought it, wanting to just be done with the task. Now she just had to ask Ezra if he was up for the dance. Aria was actually starting to look forward to it. Her shopping trip with Hanna and Emily felt so normal, it had been forever since she'd gone out with her friends and she now realized how much she'd really missed them. She was starting to feel like maybe her life could be somewhat normal again, but she had to try.

Ezra came out of the washroom, his hair wet. "Hey." he said, coming over and giving Aria a kiss on her forehead.

"Hey." she replied smiling as she ran her hand through his wet hair, messing it up.

Ezra smiled. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah, I went shopping with Han and Em. They were getting dresses for the dance tomorrow night." Aria explained.

Ezra nodded. "Oh yeah, isn't Mike going to be DJ-ing?"

"Yeah, that's all he's been talking about for the past week." Aria said, laughing. "So...I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the dance?"

Ezra looked surprised, but he smiled. "Yeah! It'll be fun!"

"Great! I bought a dress with Hanna and Emily, I actually brought it with me." Aria said, gesturing to the bags. "Wanna see it?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Ezra replied, laughing.

Aria grabbed her bag, and, giving Ezra a quick kiss she went to the bathroom to get changed. A few minutes later she called Ezra to come inside. "Could you get the zipper?"

Ezra stepped behind her, zipping the dress up before turning her around so he could look at her.

"Wow!" was all he could manage. It still shocked him how beautiful Aria was. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and resting his forehead against hers. Aria giggled.

"I take it you like the dress?" Aria asked, smiling.

"The dress is fine, but I prefer the person wearing it." Ezra replied and Aria giggled, blushing.

"Your smile is the most beautiful thing in the world." Ezra murmured before he gently pressed his lips against hers. Aria wrapped her hands around his neck, deepening the kiss. Ever since the accident, Aria had felt unworthy of Ezra's affection and she'd tried to distance herself from him without making it too obvious because she'd felt that it wouldn't be right to leave him like that after everything they'd been through and all he'd done for her. But now Aria couldn't fight the longing for him any longer. She kissed him with all the passion inside her little body. Ezra kissed her back equally as aggressively, pushing her back against the wall as his hands slowly traveled down her body to the hem of her shirt before lifting it over her head. Aria unbuttoned Ezra's shirt, popping a few in her rush to rip his shirt off his body. Ezra picked Aria up, her legs wrapping around his waist, their lips still connected as Ezra carried her to his bed.

***PLL***

Aria woke up the next morning to feel Ezra's lips slowly making their way down her neck and to her bare shoulder. She turned her head so she was looking at Ezra.

"Good morning beautiful." Ezra said, bringing his face up to give her a soft kiss.

"Morning" Aria mumbled sleepily as she yawned, stretching. "What time is it?"

Ezra didn't respond. Aria turned to look at him. Ezra's smile had vanished and had been replaced with a look of pure shock on his now pale face. Aria followed his gaze, her own face turning pale when she realized what Ezra was staring at. Her eyes started to blur with unshed tears as she stared at her bare arm, which had been in full view for Ezra to see when she'd stretched, revealing the angry red marks that she had made just two nights ago.

**Oh crap, Ezra knows. Sorry I'm not updating as often as usual, I have all kinds of projects and assignments these days, barely any time to write. I'll try have the next chapter up as soon as I can and for those of you that read "My Saviour" I'm hoping to have the next chapter of that up sometime next week. Review and let me know your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, anything. I love hearing from you all :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Previously:**

_"Good morning beautiful." Ezra said, bringing his face up to give her a soft kiss._

_"Morning" Aria mumbled sleepily as she yawned, stretching. "What time is it?"_

_Ezra didn't respond. Aria turned to look at him. Ezra's smile had vanished and had been replaced with a look of pure shock on his now pale face. Aria followed his gaze, her own face turning pale when she realized what Ezra was staring at. Her eyes started to blur with unshed tears as she stared at her bare arm, which had been in full view for Ezra to see when she'd stretched, revealing the angry red marks that she had made just two nights ago._

**Chapter 11:**

"Oh my God!" Ezra said, sitting up and grabbing Aria's arm. She tried to pull it away but Ezra's grip was firm. "Aria, why would you do something like this?"

Aria stared at the ground as tears formed beneath her eyes. "Let go of me." she said quietly.

"No." Ezra said. "I'm not letting go until you talk to me. I've given you space and that's clearly not working if you're doing something like this to yourself!" he said, waving Aria's arm in front of her face.

Aria stared silently at the ground.

"Aria, we can sit here all day for all I care but you're not going anywhere until you talk to me." Ezra said firmly.

"Why? So you can just send me to a psychiatrist?" Aria spat.

"I told you I wouldn't force you to see a psychiatrist, but right now I'm seriously considering." Ezra shot back.

"You're not my parent, you can't _force _me to do anything!" Aria said angrily.

"No, but I'm pretty sure that you don't want your parents to find out about this." Ezra said.

"Are you _seriously_ threatening to tell my parents?" Aria asked angrily. "Because I don't have enough to deal with as it is!"

Ezra took a deep breath and tried to control his anger. "Aria, I know that you're dealing with a lot, but _this_" he gestured to Aria's arm, which he was still holding. "is _not_ the way to cope with these things."

"How I deal with my problems is my business not yours." Aria said, trying again to free her arm from Ezra's grip.

"I'm sorry for trying to care about the girl that I'm in love with." Ezra replied angrily. "Aria, I get that you're upset about everything that happened but can't keep shutting everyone out like this and then doing things to yourself and expecting us not to worry."

Aria was silent for a moment before responding. "I don't want to be here right now."

"Well, until you talk to me you're not going anywhere." Ezra replied.

"You can't force me to stay here." Aria said. "I have school."

"I think this is more important than school and I can call your mom and tell her that you're not coming because you had something to deal with. So yes, I can force you to stay here." Ezra said evenly.

If looks could kill, Ezra would be more than dead. Aria glared at him with so much anger that he almost backed down but he knew that he couldn't, not if he wanted Aria to get better.

"You can glare at me all day but I'm not just going to stand by and watch you ruin your life." Ezra stated.

Aria continued to glare.

"The sooner you talk, the sooner you can leave." Ezra promised.

"You know what Ezra?!" Aria shouted suddenly. "You want me to talk? Well here it is. I saw my best friend lying in a car with blood all over her. If that's not enough, everyone's always looking at me, waiting for me to snap. Oh, and let's add the fact that my friends and family think I need to go to a freaking psychiatrist because I'm crazy!"

The room was completely silent after Aria's outburst as Ezra stared at her, stunned. Aria glared back at him, tears streaming down her face.

Finally Ezra broke out of his trance and tried to wipe the tears from Aria's face but she jerked her head away from his hands. Ezra let his hands drop to his lap before looking at Aria and speaking.

"When I was in middle school I watched my best friend die of cancer." Ezra said, catching Aria off guard. She opened her mouth to say something but Ezra shook his head, gesturing that he wasn't finished. "We had been best friends since we were in diapers and from the day he was diagnosed I felt helpless. Ryan always put on a brave front, acting like everything was normal because he knew how all this was affecting me. Through all his treatments and finally, his last few days, Ryan knew how I felt and he was always trying to keep my mind off of his cancer, instead trying to keep me busy with basketball or video games, things like that. But the day he died, I was so upset and angry at the world for taking my best friend away that I started doing things that I'd never normally do. I started picking fights with the older kids, talking back to my teachers, pushing my friends and family away and just lying in my bed for hours, staring at a picture of Ryan and wishing that I could just see him one more time. After a few weeks my parents forced me to go to a psychiatrist. I was literally kicking and screaming all the way there and I wouldn't say a word when I was with the psychiatrist. But then, one day the psychiatrist started to tell me about how she'd lost someone dear to her too, and she told me that was why she'd become a psychiatrist. Little by little, I started telling her more and more about Ryan, how he was always there for me, how he'd always kick my butt at basketball, how he always managed to make me laugh when I was angry. And, little by little, I started to look forward to my appointments, to share my memories with Dr. Brooks. She really helped me and I started to be less irritable, started studying harder. I found a purpose for living again, and I wish that I had gone to Dr. Brooks sooner."

Ezra hadn't even realized he was crying until he felt Aria's hand wiping away his tears. He looked up at her and smiled, taking her hand in his.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ezra shrugged. "It still hurts to talk about. The pain never completely goes away, you just have to learn the right way to deal with it."

Aria nodded and took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's time for me to see a psychiatrist." she said with a faint smile on her face.

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked. "Because I promised you that I wouldn't force you into this."

Aria nodded. "I'm sure. Thank you for sticking with me through all of this. I know I haven't exactly been easy to get along with lately but hopefully that will change soon."

Ezra held Aria's hands, rubbing gentle circles on them with his thumbs. "I'll stand by you no matter what. That's a promise."

Aria smiled. "Let's go book me an appointment for my psychiatrist." she said, squeezing Ezra's hand before getting up.

**Sorry this chapter is extremely sad. It was necessary. I might be posting a happy one-shot soon though, so stay tuned for that! Please Review! It really makes my day to hear from you guys and I really want to know what you guys think of the story, or if you have any suggestions or anything let me know, even if it's a typo or something small (I hate typos, they drive me mad when I see them). **

**xo Sobia**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

"During today's appointment I just want us to get to know each other a little. I want you to feel comfortable around me, more like a friend than a therapist." Dr. Anderson said, looking directly into Aria's eyes.

Aria nodded.

"Okay, so my name is Deborah Anderson, I've been a psychiatrist for seven years. I love chick-flicks, playing volleyball and I'm a sucker for a good romance novel. Is there anything you want to know about me?" Dr. Anderson said.

Aria shook her head.

"How about you tell me a little about yourself?"

Aria took a deep breath. "Okay, Dr. Anderson-"

"Call me Deb. We're friends, remember?" Deb said with a smile.

"Okay." Aria hesitated for a moment. "Um, I like writing and um, old movies and classic books."

"What's your favourite book?" Deb asked.

"To Kill a Mockingbird." Aria replied instantly.

"Good choice! I love that book too." Deb said, getting up and going over to her shelf, pulling out a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Aria smiled. "My boyfriend really likes it too. He has like three copies and I usually read one of them when he's working."

"What does your boyfriend do?"

Aria hesitated for a moment. "He's...a teacher."

Deb nodded. "How long have you two been together?"

"One year and three months." Aria replied, smiling.

"How did he react to the accident?" Deb asked.

Aria looked uneasy at the mention of the accident. "He's been really worried about me."

"Which is understandable." Deb pointed out. "Do you think he's helping you cope?"

Aria shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for Ezra."

"But?" Deb prompted, leaning forward.

"But" Aria started. "I don't know if I want him to help me. I mean, I love him for trying to stand by my side but I just sorta want to be alone for a while."

Deb looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why do you think that is?"

Aria looked uncomfortable with the question and just shrugged. She didn't want to admit that she didn't feel like she deserved Ezra ever since the accident.

Deb waited a moment before changing the subject. "What about your family? How did they react?"

Aria shrugged. "I haven't really been around them much since it happened. I know they're worried about me and they call me sometimes but I just don't really want to talk to anyone. I'm usually either at Ezra's or occasionally with Hanna or Emily."

"Why don't you want to talk to your family?" Deb asked.

Again, Aria didn't respond.

"Aria, maybe talking to your family will help you. I mean, they've known you your entire life and they love you."

"I can't deal with it. My parents look at me the same way everyone else did when I first had the accident. It's taken some time for my friends and Ezra to stop treating me like I'm made of glass but with my parents it's like they think I'm still a little girl." Aria said, frustrated.

"Did you try telling them that?" Deb asked.

Aria shook her head.

"Okay, well our time for today is almost over but before your next appointment, I want you to try and talk to your family, okay?" Deb said.

Aria nodded, getting up. "Okay." She hesitated before adding "Thanks Deb."

Deb smiled up at Aria. "See you next week."

***PLL***

"So how was it?" Ezra asked pulling out of the parking lot.

Aria shrugged. "It was okay. She seems nice, I guess."

"Are you going back next week?" Ezra asked, looking over at Aria before focusing back on the road.

Aria hesitated for a split-second before nodding. "I think so. Deb, my psychiatrist, wants me to try and communicate more with my family."

Ezra nodded. "They miss you. Byron stopped by my office today and was asking about you. Your family's really worried."

Aria sighed. "I know. I think I'm going to go home today, just for a little while. It might be good for me too, I haven't seen my parents or Mike in about a month."

"Want me to drop you off right now?" Ezra asked.

Aria hesitated for a moment before she nodded. "Yes please."

Ezra switched lanes and headed towards the Montgomery's house. He pulled into their driveway a few minutes later and looked over at Aria.

Aria looked over at him nervously. "Could you come with me?"

Ezra hesitated. "I don't know, I don't want to intrude..."

Aria looked down, knowing he was right. This was something she should do by herself. They were her family after all. She took a deep breath. "Can you pick me up in an hour?"

Ezra nodded."Sure." He took Aria's hand and squeezed it. "You'll be fine." he murmured.

Aria smiled gratefully before giving him a kiss. "Thanks. I needed that." she replied, playing with his hair before giving him a peck on the cheek and getting out of the car. She waved as Ezra drove away and then rang the doorbell, bracing herself.

A few moments later the door opened, revealing a surprised Ella.

"Hey mom."

**Hey, sorry this chapter is so short. Next chapter will be longer. Don't forget to REVIEW! **

**-xo Sobia**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Previously:**_

_She waved as Ezra drove away and then rang the doorbell, bracing herself._

_A few moments later the door opened, revealing a surprised Ella._

_"Hey mom."_

**Chapter 13:**

"Aria?! Oh my God! Byron! Mike! Come down here!" Ella said, rushing forward and enveloping her daughter into a hug as the two men came downstairs.

"Aria!" Mike said, tackling her in a hug. Byron wasn't far behind.

"Where have you been?!" Byron asked, staring at her as though uncertain if she were really there.

"I needed some space." Aria replied.

"Why didn't you call?" Ella asked.

Aria shrugged. "I just needed to get away from my routine for a bit."

"Where did you go?" Byron asked.

"Ezra's. And I went out with the girls a bit." Aria replied.

"What about school?" Ella asked.

"I went, I just avoided your class." Aria said, and then quickly added when she say her mother's expression "I just needed to get away from you guys for a bit. I'm sorry for worrying you all but I needed to deal with everything that happened."

Mike placed a hand discreetly on her arm and squeezed, signalling that he wasn't mad at her and she wasn't alone through the questioning from her parents. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Look Aria, we understand that you're hurting but we just want to be there for you. We can't do that if you don't let us." Byron said reasonably.

Aria took a deep breath. "But the thing is, you guys have been treating me like I'm made of glass. Say something wrong and I'll break. I get that you all care but I just want to be myself, I just want my life back. That's something I couldn't get here. The girls understand and they've been great about it and, it took Ezra a bit of time but he got it too. I came here today because I promised my therapist that I would try to tell you guys how I felt and now I've done that. Whatever you do after this is all on you."

Byron and Ella stared at her for a moment before Ella spoke. "Honey, we didn't mean to make you feel that way."

Aria nodded. "I know, but you did. And I can't handle it."

"Sweetheart, we'll try to fix things-" Byron started.

"No. That's what I want you not to do. I don't want anyone trying to _fix_ anything. I just want to live my life." Aria said, starting to get frustrated.

Byron sighed. "Okay."

"Thank you." Aria said, sighing in relief. This really hadn't been as bad as she'd thought it would be.

"So are you staying?" Byron asked.

Aria hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm going to be staying at Ezra's for the time being but I'll come over often. I need to see you guys acting normally before I can fully become part of...this." she said, gesturing around her.

Byron opened his mouth to protest but Ella silenced him. "Okay, but you have to promise you won't shut us out like you did before."

Aria nodded. "I promise."

Ella smiled at her daughter. "So are you staying for dinner? You can call Ezra to join us."

Aria smiled back. "That would be great!" she said, taking out her phone to call Ezra.

***PLL***

"So Ezra, how's everything at Hollis?" Mike asked, trying to make conversation as he shovelled some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"It's going great. I really like teaching, and the students are great!" Ezra said smiling as he took a bun from the bowl and took a bite. "How's school?"

Mike shrugged. "The usual. We have a lacrosse tournament on Tuesday and we've been practicing like crazy but we're all really excited."

"You should see their team, it's great!" Ella gushed, smiling proudly at her son.

"You guys are going to be great." Aria said, spearing a piece of broccoli onto her fork.

"You should come out and watch us play." Mike said excitedly.

"I have a free period in the afternoon. I think I'll drop by for a bit" Aria said, smiling at her little brother.

"Great!" Mike said as they continued to eat their dinner.

***PLL***

"That went a lot better than expected." Aria said, leaning back in her seat as she Ezra drove towards him apartment.

"Told you so." Ezra teased.

Aria rolled her eyes playfully. "Congratz! Want a cookie?"

"I think I can think of a better reward." Ezra said, winking as he pulled up to a red light.

Aria giggled before removing her seatbelt and leaning forward, giving him a kiss. "Happy?"

"Very." Ezra, smiling as he pulled her back to him and reconnected their lips. A loud horn honking made them both pull away, startled as they noticed that the light had turned green.

"Oops." Ezra said, chuckling.

"Gosh, keep your eyes on the road." Aria teased, leaning over the console to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Well maybe if my passenger wasn't so distracting..." Ezra started.

"Hey, don't blame me, you're the driver." Aria raised her eyebrows.

"Next time you're sitting in the back." Ezra said, chuckling.

"Why, so you can admire me from the rearview mirror and pretend that you're really focusing on the road?" Aria joked.

"Darn it!" Ezra said, laughing as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment.

"Sorry babe, but I know my man." Aria said, laughing as she tilted her head up and kissed him.

***PLL***

"So, when's your next appointment with Deb?" Ezra asked as they settled on the couch, a book in each of their hands. Ezra was sitting on one side, leaning against the armrest and Aria was in his lap, her legs sprawled out in front of her, her back against his chest.

"Next Thursday." Aria replied, turning a page on her book.

"Great, want to go out for dinner afterwards." Ezra asked.

Aria smiled up at him. "Sure. That sounds like fun, what did you have in mind?"

"How about we go to that new vegan place that just opened up?" Ezra said, leaning forward and grabbing a flyer from the coffee table which he handed to Aria.

Aria examined it for a moment before nodding. "Sounds good." she said, leaning up and giving him a peck on his cheek.

"It's a date." Ezra replied smiling. He was so happy that she was starting to act like herself again after just one appointment. Who knew what would happen after several more.

**Hope y'all liked the chapter. I figured it was time to take a break from all the sadness so I wrote a happier chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for the future. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Enjoy the chapter! :)**

**Chapter 14:**

"So Aria, did you do what I asked?" Deb asked, leaning forward in her chair. They were seated in her office for Aria's second appointment.

Aria nodded, smiling. "Yes, I did. I went to my house after our last session and I talked to my parents. They took it really well and they said they're going to try and improve. I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

Deb shook her head. "I didn't do anything, Aria. That was all you. You should be really proud of yourself right now."

Aria's smile grew wider. "I am."

***PLL***

"Is it okay if we stop by the apartment before going to dinner?" Ezra asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, I need to shower and change into something nice anyway." Aria said, looking down at her outfit.

"You look beautiful in whatever you wear." Ezra said, taking her hand.

"Cheesy much." Aria teased.

Ezra shrugged. "You love me for it."

"Can't argue with that." Aria replied, smiling.

***PLL***

"Ezra, could you give me a hand with the zipper?" Aria called from the bathroom.

"Just a sec." Ezra said, straightening his tie before going into the bathroom. He went over to Aria and zipped up the back of her dress and then leaning down to place a kiss on her shoulder, slowly making his way to her neck. When he reached her ear, he whispered "You look gorgeous."

Aria moaned softly before turning her body and attacking Ezra's lips with her own. They kissed passionately, their bodies merging as one as they wrapped their arms around each other, only breaking apart when they desperately needed air, only to rejoin their lips.

After several minutes, Aria broke away. "What about our reservation?"

Ezra looked disappointed and he stared at her lips longingly for a moment before sighing. "Let's go."

Aria ruffled his hair from the front before planting one last kiss on his lips and then linked her arms in his as they left the apartment.

***PLL***

"This is amazing!" Ezra said, wide-eyed, his mouth half full of a vegetable stir-fry. "You have to try this!" she said, holding her fork towards Ezra's mouth.

Aria took a bite, chewed for a moment, before her eyes became wide. "Oh my God!"

"Right!" Ezra said, laughing.

Aria reached over and took another forkful of his stir-fry. "How can something be this good?!"

Ezra shook his head, chuckling at her enthusiasm. "Hands off." he said, pulling the plate away from her.

Aria pouted and looked at him with wide puppy-dog eyes.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "You take advantage of my love." he said, pushing the plate towards her.

Aria smiled sweetly. "What's the point of being loved if you can't use it to your advantage?" she said, giggling."Besides, you've taken advantage of mine too!"

"Like when?" Ezra asked.

Aria bit her lip, thinking. "Okay, I can't come up with anything right now, bu I will!"

"Hah!" Ezra said. "You can't even think of an example."

"I will!" Aria insisted. "I just need to think."

"Hello." a voice said, interrupting their dinner. Aria looked up, shocked as she looked into a set of blue eyes that were identical to Ezra's, who was staring at his plate, already knowing the voice.

"Mother." he said, coldly.

"I see you two are still...together" she said, staring disdainfully at Aria.

"Yes, we are." Ezra said evenly, squeezing Aria's hand under the table. "And we plan to stay that way, no matter what you try to do."

"You act like I'm the enemy here." Dianne said, looking hurt. "I'm just trying to prevent you from making a huge mistake that could ruin your life."

"Mistake?! My relationship with Aria is NOT a mistake! And she's not ruining my life, YOU are!" Ezra said angrily. Aria looked at him across the table, her eyes pleading with him to stay calm. Ezra took a deep breath in an effort to control himself, realizing that some of the people at nearby tables were watching.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, you ungrateful-"

"We're leaving." Ezra said, pushing his chair back and standing up. He went around to Aria's side of the table and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him.

"Ezra, please calm down." Aria said, pulling his arm in an effort to slow him down. She could barely keep up with him in her high heels. He slowed down a little, but not very much as she stumbled to keep up with him until he got to his car, holding her door open.

"Ezra..."

"Aria, please just get in the car. I really don't want to be here right now."

Aria stepped into the car, settling herself in as Ezra slammed the door shut, coming around and getting in. He sat silently for a moment, staring at his hands before starting the car. Aria held her hand out, telling him to wait a second. Ezra put his hands in his lap, and stared at the steering wheel.

"Ezra."

"What?"

"Look at me."

Ezra looked up, staring into Aria's hazel eyes. He felt some of his anger wash away but not enough to make him completely calm.

Aria put her hand on his cheek. "There's nothing she can do to break us up. I'll always be by your side no matter what."

Ezra put his hand over hers. "I just hate that she keeps trying to ruin our relationship. She knows how happy you make me but she just doesn't understand that I'm happy living a normal life. She wants me to be rich and act like I'm above everyone else, like she does."

"You're not like that, and you never will be." Aria assured him. "Don't let her get to you."

"How do you do that?" Ezra asked, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"Do what?" Aria said, confused.

"You always know exactly what to say to calm me down." Ezra said, staring at her.

Aria smiled. "Magic."

Ezra rolled his eyes and leaned over the console, giving her a chaste kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Aria replied, smiling before they re-attached their lips.

**Okay, so I hope you liked that chapter. Sorry it took so long to post, I've been really busy with school lately. Hopefully next chapter won't take as long. For those of you that read My Saviour, the next chapter will hopefully be up in a few days.** **Don't forget to review!**

**-xo Sobia :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

"I'm home" Ezra said, closing the door to apartment 3B and taking off his coat. He lifted his head as the smell of something delicious wafted through the apartment. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise." Aria said, putting the lid on a pot and wiping her hands on a dish towel before going over to Ezra and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "But I have to run to the grocery store and pick up a few things that I forgot at home, so I need you to promise not to peek, okay?" When she saw Ezra's curious glance at the stove she sighed. "Actually, no, you're coming with me."

"But-"

"No buts, do you want to change into something more comfortable before we leave?" Aria asked.

Ezra groaned. "Do I have to go?"

"Yes." Aria said automatically. "You're going to peek otherwise."

"No I won't." Ezra protested.

Aria raised her eyebrows.

Ezra sighed and left the room, emerging a moment later in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Good boy." Aria teased.

Ezra glared at her. "The things I do for women."

Aria laughed and put her arms around his neck. "Trust me, it's worth it."

***PLL***

"Okay all we need now is garlic powder and cheese." Aria said, looking at her list as Ezra pushed the cart full of produce in front of her.

"Here's the garlic powder." he said, picking up a bottle from one of the shelves. "And I think the cheese is up ahead." He headed in the direction of the freezer aisle and was just about to turn a corner when their cart collided with another cart.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Ezra said, looking up into the face of Noel Kahn, who smirked when he saw Aria standing beside Ezra.

"Wow, still together huh?" Noel sneered.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Haven't heard that one before." she mumbled under her breath.

Ezra started to move his cart to get away from Noel but the other man stepped into his way. "Noel, move." Ezra said, clenching his jaw.

"You're not my teacher anymore, you can't make me do anything." Noel said defiantly.

"Noel, what's your problem?" Aria said, moving in front of Ezra and shoving Noel's cart away.

Noel stared at her incredulously. "Seriously? Are you really asking me that?"

Aria stared him right in the eyes. "Yeah, I am. Last time I checked, I don't need your approval to date someone."

"And last time I checked, you're not supposed to date your teachers, especially when you're already with someone else." Noel spat. "Did you forget the fact that you used me?"

Aria's eyes softened slightly. "Noel..."

"Screw you." he said angrily, shoving her away from his cart. She would have fallen if Ezra hadn't caught her arm and helped her balance herself. He stomped straight into Noel's face and would have hit him if Aria hadn't been holding his arm, pleading with him not to do anything.

"If you _ever_ touch her again, I'll kill you." Ezra said, glaring at Noel. Noel glared back, angrily.

"Ezra, let's go. He's not worth it." Aria pleaded, pulling him away from the teenager.

Ezra took a deep breath and grabbed his cart, following Aria towards the check-out line.

"Don't get in another car accident on your way home. You wouldn't want to kill someone else." Noel called in front of them.

Aria gripped the handle of the cart really tight and stood absolutely still. Ezra, red-faced, went right back up to Noel, grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against a shelf full of pop bottles.

"Noel, I'm going to count to five and, if by the time I'm finished you're still here, I swear to God I won't hold back when I beat the shit out of you." Ezra seethed, shoving Noel back so he stumbled into a stack of cereal boxes, which went tumbling down.

"One...two..." Ezra started. Noel stood there for a moment, hesitating, before he realized he'd gone to far and ran off. Ezra went back to Aria, who was still standing in front of the cart, tears streaming down her pale face.

"Aria." Ezra said, touching her cheek lightly. "Noel's wrong, you didn't-"

Aria shook her head, cutting him off. "Could you take care of these?" she said gesturing towards the cart. "I'm going to go outside. I need some air"

Ezra nodded. "Of course." he said, giving her forehead a kiss and rubbing her back. Aria smiled gratefully at him and walked away, leaving Ezra in the middle of the grocery store.

***PLL***

"Hey." Ezra said, looking up at Aria, who was sitting in a tree in a park near the grocery store.

"Hey." she replied sadly, not even looking at him.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

Aria shrugged.

Ezra grabbed hold of a low branch, putting his foot on a little stub and pulling himself up. He was thankful that he'd changed into more comfortable clothes as he slowly climbed the tree. When he arrived at Aria's branch, she moved over so he could sit with her, and he hoisted himself onto it, steadying himself by resting his back against the tree trunk. "You okay?" he asked, looking at Aria.

Aria shrugged again. "I know now that it's not exactly my fault that Spencer died but it doesn't make it any easier to hear things like that."

"Noel's a jerk, don't listen to him. He's just trying to hurt you." Ezra said, gently pulling Aria closer to him, carefully making sure he had a firm hold on her in case she lost her balance. Aria buried her head into his chest, sniffling.

"I miss Spencer." she said sadly.

"It's okay." Ezra said, rubbing circles on her back. "I know you miss her, but remember, she's always with you wherever you go. Just because you can't see her doesn't mean she's not there. She's watching, from up in heaven and she'll always be in your heart." he said.

After he spoke they were both silent. It wasn't awkward, it was a comforting silence as Aria clung to Ezra's chest and he continued to rub circles on her back, soothing her as he always did.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one should be up within a week, hopefully. I'm also hoping to have the first chapter of a new story up sometime soon. It's the sequel to Broken-Hearted Girl and it will be called Healed Heart, so stay tuned for that. I'll let y'all know when I post the first chapter. Also, for those of you that read My Saviour, I'm hoping to have the next chapter up sometime this weekend or between Monday - Wednesday so hopefully that will be up soon too. **

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review. And tell me if there's anything you would like to see in future chapters. I' say this a lot but I'm always open to new ideas so let me know :)**

**-xo Sobia :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

"And he just blurted out something about how Spencer's death was my fault and I lost it." Aria said, sniffling as she recounted the events of her run-in with Noel to Deb.

"That's awful." Deb sympathized, handing Aria a box of tissues, which she accepted gratefully. "It's absolutely not your fault!"

Aria nodded. "I know, but it still hurts to hear someone say that."

Deb gave Aria a sympathetic smile before her expression became serious. "What did you do after he said that?"

Aria shrugged. "I asked Ezra to pay for the items and walked out. There's a park a few minutes away from there that has a tree I like to climb sometimes, so I went and sat in it for a while. Ezra came looking for me and found me there, and then he sat in the tree with me and stayed with me while I just cried and let all of my emotions out."

Deb smiled. "I'm glad he's helping you deal with your emotions in a positive way."

Aria smiled through her tears. "He's really helped me through all of this. In fact, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

"Well, I'm glad that you are. You've really made a lot of progress here, and you've only been here four times." Deb said, smiling proudly at Aria.

"Thanks." Aria replied, smiling back.

***PLL***

As Aria sat down in the passenger seat of Ezra's car, she got a call.

"Hello?...He what?...Why would he-...Okay, I'm on my way."

"What happened?" Ezra asked, immediately concerned.

Aria sighed, running a hand through her perfectly curled brown hair."Mike got in a fight at school and now he locked himself in his room and won't come out. Mom wants me to go and talk to him. Stop at the Brew on the way there, I want to get him a chocolate ice cream milkshake."

"Who did he get in a fight with?" Ezra asked, pulling out of the parking lot and heading in the direction of the Brew.

"Noel." Aria responded, running her hands through her hair again, agitated. When they reached the Brew, Aria jumped out, returning a few minutes later with two coffee and a chocolate shake.

Ezra took a sip of his coffee before he started driving in the direction of Aria's house. "Did Ella say what the fight was about?"

Aria paused before responding with one word. "Me."

"You?"

"Noel was saying some rude things about me and Mike overheard him and punched him."

"He really doesn't know when to quit." Ezra said angrily as he pulled into Aria's driveway and they both got out. Ella opened the door before Aria had a chance to pull out her keys.

"Still in his room?" Aria asked.

Ella nodded, upset.

"Don't worry, I'll make him come out." Aria said, heading for the stairs. When she reached the top of the stairs she stood outside of her little brother's room and knocked lightly on the door.

"Go away." he called.

"It's me." Aria said quietly.

"What do you want?" he said through the door.

"To talk." When Mike didn't respond, Aria added. "I brought you a chocolate milkshake."

A moment later Aria heard the door unlock and smiled to herself, trying not to roll her eyes as her brother's hand emerged from the door.

"No, you have to let me in or I'll drink it myself." she said firmly. She heard Mike sigh as he let her in and held out his hand.

Aria handed him the milkshake and gasped when she saw his face. "Oh my God! Mikey, are you okay?" she asked, examining his black eye.

"I'm fine." he grumbled.

"Did you at least put some ice on it?"

Mike rolled his eyes but said "No."

"If I leave the room and get you some ice will you let me back in when I come back?" Aria asked.

Mike hesitated, then shook his head. Aria ran downstairs, right past her parents and Ezra and grabbed some ice and a towel.

"Everything okay?" Ella asked.

"I let you know in a bit." Aria replied, racing back up the stairs. As promised, Mike let her back in, holding his hand out for the towel but Aria shook her head.

"I'm the reason you got that, at least let me help it heal." she said, gently pressing the ice to his swollen eye.

Mike winced. "Careful!"

"Sorry."

"How did you know about my fight with Noel?"

"Mom called me. Mike, why did you hit him?"

Mike didn't respond.

"Mike, why did you hit him?" Aria repeated, looking into her little brother's eyes.

"He was saying stuff about you." he mumbled quietly.

"Like what?"

Mike glared at her.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Mike, I can handle it."

Mike sighed. "He called you a dumb whore and said that you're a killer."

Aria's face went pale but she took a deep breath. "Listen to me Mike. Noel Kahn is not worth the trouble that you got into for hitting him. It may have felt good but he's an idiot and I don't want you wasting your time with him, especially on account of me, okay?"

Mike nodded. "He deserved what he got though."

Aria smiled. "I don't doubt that. He's a douchebag."

"Right! You know he got kicked off the lacrosse team because of this?" Mike said happily.

"You didn't, did you?" Aria asked, worried. She knew how much lacrosse meant to Mike and would hate herself if she had ruined it for him.

Mike shook his head. "This was only my first fight this year. Noel's been in at least four, plus, remember that time he was caught with test answers that he claimed were planted in his locker?"

Aria nodded, smiling. For once, A had done something good for her and, although she'd had to pay because of it, she was still, for lack of a better word, grateful.

"Because of all those, he's been kicked off for the rest of high school. He had a scholarship for lacrosse from at least seven colleges, but now they've all taken back their offers."

Aria felt kind of bad for Noel, but at the same time, she knew he'd had it coming. "Well, I'm glad you don't have to deal with him anymore."

"Me too." Mike said happily.

"Okay, now how about we go downstairs because mom and dad are freaking out." Aria said, ruffling her little brother's hair.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Dramatic, much."

"Hey, they care about you." Aria said seriously.

"I know, but sometimes it's annoying." Mike explained.

"I totally get it little brother. But at the same time it's kinda nice to know that they care so much." Aria said, smiling.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Let's go!" Aria said, linking arms with Mike as the two exited his room and went downstairs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Michael Wilson Montgomery!"Aria said, holding an invisible microphone to her lips, which formed a wide smile.

Ella and Byron raced over to their son.

"Oh my God!" Ella said. "Your eye!"

"It's fine mom." Mike said, looking at Aria like_ See what I mean?_

Aria laughed, stepping between her parents and Mike. "Guys, let the boy breath." she said, and Byron and Ella back off a bit.

"My work here is done." Aria said, stepping behind her parents where Ezra stood and taking his hand. "Shall we?"

Ezra nodded, smiling. "After you,my lady."

**Hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to review!**

**-xox, Sobia :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! **

Chapter 17:

Deb paused for a moment and scribbled something onto her notepad before looking up at Aria again. "Where did you go?"

Aria shrugged.

"Why did you leave?"

Aria didn't respond.

"What was going through your head at the time?" Deb asked, calmly.

Aria continued her silence as she fiddled with the zipper on her jacket.

"Aria?"

"Can I leave?" Aria asked.

Deb shook her head. "Your appointment doesn't end for another 35 minutes."

Aria sighed and slumped in her seat.

"Aria, we were doing so well before. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." Deb reasoned.

_"No" she whispered, seeing Spencer's long brown hair matted down with the blood that pooled around her head. "Spencer"  
_

_Aria woke up, her face wet with tears and, without really knowing what she was doing, she got up, grabbed her keys, and left the apartment. As she stepped into the elevator, she closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself but it wasn't helping. She got out of the elevator and sat down in her car, pushed the key into the ignition and began driving with no destination in mind._

"Aria, are you alright?" Deb asked, concerned.

Aria stared blankly at Deb, not seeing the young woman as her memory took over again.

_ Aria could feel a panic attack coming. She continued to take deep breaths breath but she was starting to hyperventilate and she pulled over and slumped against her seat, pushing her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around them as she struggled for breath before everything went black. _

"Aria?" Deb said, snapping her fingers in front of the brunette's face.

Aria snapped back to reality, blinking at Deb. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You just sort of spaced out." Deb explained.

"Sorry." Aria said, looking down at her hands.

"So can you tell me what you were just thinking about?" Deb asked.

Aria sighed. "I don't want to talk about it." she said quietly.

Deb was quiet for a moment before she looked up at Aria, staring into her hazel eyes. "Do you trust me?"

_When Aria woke up, she was cradled against a strong chest as a hand stroked her hair, a familliar scent emanating from the body that held her. She could hear a voice whispering soothing words into her hair._

_"How did you know where to find me?" she asked, looking up into the blue eyes that showed nothing but love when looking at her._

_"I just knew." Ezra replied. "I'll always find you when you need me."_

_Aria smiled up at him and then snuggled deeper into his chest, his arms tightening around her small frame._

_"Want to talk about it?" Ezra asked, referring to the reason she was here._

_Aria shook her head. "Not yet."_

_Ezra nodded and silently held her, knowing that was what she needed most at that moment. Aria buried her face in Ezra's shirt and they stayed like that for what may have been hours, but was probably only ten minutes before Aria lifted her head."Ezra?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"I did something bad." Aria confessed._

_Ezra looked down at her, worried. "What do you mean?"_

_"You have to promise not to tell anyone, not Deb, not my friends or my parents, _nobody."_  
_

_Ezra nodded. "Okay. What's wrong sweetheart?"_

_Aria took a deep breath before she sat up, still in Ezra's lap and pushed her sleeve back to show the fresh red marks that she had made just an hour before. Ezra's eyes widened as he ran his hand gently over the cuts and then looked up at Aria. "Why did you do that?" he asked, not angrily, but concerned and worried.  
_

_Aria felt tears spill down her cheeks. "I had a dream...about Spencer. And I knew I shouldn't be doing this but I was numb and I needed to feel something, anything. Pain is the only thing that I could feel."_

_Ezra didn't say a word, just pulled her body against his and hugged her. Aria hugged him back, burying her head in his shoulder, crying._

_"Please don't hurt yourself. Just call me next time, okay? I promise I'll drop everything and be there right away. But please, don't harm yourself. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Ezra said, and Aria could feel his body shaking as he began to cry too. She hugged him tighter, her hand stroking his hair as she closed her eyes. The car was silent except for their crying and, as they both sobbed, holding each other, they felt a burden being released from their shoulders and they let their emotions out, showing the vulnerability that lay behind the illusion of strength._

"I don't know." Aria said, addressing Deb's question. "I mean, I trust that you're not going to hurt me or anything and I think you're really nice, but I can't say that I trust you with everything."

Deb nodded. "Okay, that's fair. How about this, do you feel like you can talk to me?"

Aria hesitated before nodding. "Yes, I think so."

Deb nodded again. "Then please answer this one question for me. Why did you harm yourself?"

"It's personal." Aria said.

"Okay, but here's the thing. After the doctor saw your cuts, he recommended that I send you to a mental facility. Have you heard of Radley?"

Aria nodded, a feeling of dread running through her body.

"They want me to send you there because they don't think you're making progress."

"But this was the first time in weeks, and I've already found a way to prevent it from happening again." Aria protested.

"What method is that?" Deb asked curiously.

"I'm going to call my boyfriend if I ever feel the way I did when I did this." Aria said, gesturing to her arm.

"And what if he doesn't pick up the phone?"

"He will." Aria said firmly.

"But what if he doesn't?" Deb asked.

"Then I'll call Hanna or Emily." Aria said. "Look, I have people that care about me and I know that I can get through this with their support. Just give me some time and I'll prove to you, and everyone else that I can get better." Aria said, determined.

Deb hesitated for a few minutes, pondering Aria's request. "Okay, fine. If you go two months without doing anything to yourself, then you can stay out of Radley. But, if I see any marks, and we're going to be checking your whole body, then you're going straight to Radley, no complaints. Okay?"

Aria nodded. "Deal."

"Okay, well your time is up for today, I'll see you on Wednesday." Deb said and Aria got up, heading for the door.

"Deb?" she said, lingering in the doorway.

The woman looked up from her notes. "Yes Aria?"

"Thank you." Aria said, smiling as she let herself out.

**Okay, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to do something new by adding the flashbacks in between the chapter, so I hope you liked the change. Don't forget to review, and I'll try to update soon but I have exams next week so it may take some time. **

**-xo Sobia**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

"So if you go two months without harming yourself, you can stay out of Radley?" Hanna asked.

Aria nodded.

"You can do this. In fact, we're going to help make sure that you can go a lot longer than two months." Emily said, encouragingly. "You know we're here for you, right?"

Aria smiled gratefully. "You guys are honestly the best friends a girl could have." she said, wrapping an arm around each girl and pulling them in for a group hug.

"We know." Hanna said, laughing when they pulled apart.

Aria rolled her eyes at her friend. "Hey Han, I almost forgot, I need a favour from you."

"Ask away." Hanna replied.

"I was thinking of getting a job as an assistant photographer and my interview's today and I need something to wear." Aria explained and smiled as Hanna's face lit up. She jumped off her bed and went straight to the closet, mumbling to herself. Aria and Emily exchanged an amused look as they watched their friend do what she loves.

After a few minutes of rummaging around, Hanna dropped a pile of clothes on her bed and started sorting them out. When she was finished, she held up four different outfits that looked professional yet unique. Aria looked carefully at all four, picking each one up and examining it.

"This one..." she said, holding up a white blouse with a black pencil skirt and a big golden necklace "or this one" she held up another outfit with a light blue blouse, black blazer and a pencil skirt.

Emily and Hanna looked between the two outfits for a moment before agreeing on the first one.

"Okay, this one it is." Aria said, happily as she moved the other outfits from the bed before plopping down onto it, Emily and Hanna joining her a few seconds later. In that moment, Aria truly felt like a teenager. With everything that had happened throughout her teenage years, with A, and her relationship with Ezra, she hadn't really been able to experience the things that most teenage girls were able to. The only times she'd really felt this way was with her friends, and when she'd lost Spencer, she thought she'd never feel the happiness of being immature and carefree. Aria couldn't even begin to explain the amount of happiness she felt, realizing that she could still have this feeling with just Hanna and Emily.

'I love you guys." Aria said, grabbing each of their hands and squeezing.

"We love you too." Hanna said, kissing her short friend's cheek.

"And we're here for you no matter what." Emily added.

* * *

"Hey babe." Ezra said, shutting the door before he came and collapsed on the couch.

"Long day?" Aria asked, loosening his tie.

Ezra nodded. "I spent my break marking essays that I'm fairly certain were written in one day, and I still have about 15 more to go. It's going to be a long night." he said, tiredly.

Aria rubbed his back sympathetically. "How does a nice cup of coffee sound?"

Ezra smiled. "Like heaven." he said, kissing her forehead.

Aria stood up and went to the coffeemaker, before turning back. "Hungry?"

Ezra nodded. "Starved."

Aria grabbed a plate from the cabinet and scooped some pasta out of a steaming pot while Ezra went and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Aria handed him the plate as he came back.

"What would I do without you?" he asked, smiling gratefully at her.

"You're never going to have to find out because I'm not going anywhere." Aria replied, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the lips.

Ezra smiled as he tucked a stray lock of hair out of her face. He stared into Aria's eyes, happy but looking as though there was something he wanted to say.

"What?" Aria asked.

Ezra shook his head. "Nothing...you just seem...is everything okay?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You just seem...I don't know...just really happy." Ezra said, trying to find the right words.

Aria shrugged, smiling. "I am happy. I'm happier than I've been in a while."

"Why's that?" Ezra asked curiously.

"I don't know exactly. Everything just seems...I don't know, better. I mean, I know that I've been really down lately, but I think Deb's deal is going to be really easy to do. I just feel like, now that I have a goal, I have something to live for, you know?"

Ezra absorbed this for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think I do. I'm glad that you're happy, you have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen and it should be a crime to deprive me of it for so long." he teased.

Aria laughed. "Well, hopefully I'll be able to make up for it. But for now, you have work to do." she said, gesturing to Ezra's satchel, papers sticking out of it.

Ezra sighed, but reluctantly got up and grabbed his bag, going to sit at his desk to start marking. Aria put away the leftovers of the pasta she'd made and gave Ezra his coffee. She then went to change into one of his shirts and a pair of shorts before curling up on the couch with a copy of _The Great Gatsby_.

An hour and a half later, Aria's eyes were beginning to close when she heard a faint laugh. She looked up and smiled at the sight of Ezra slumped in his chair, his face flat against the desk, his eyes closed as his chest rose and fell steadily. Aria got up and slowly went over to him, taking the papers from around him and putting them into his satchel so he wouldn't be scrambling to get organized in the morning. When his stuff was packed, Aria gently bent over Ezra's sleeping figure and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Ezra?" she said gently.

Ezra stirred and moaned quietly.

"Babe, come on, let's get you to bed." Aria said, coaxing him out of his chair. Ezra stood up groggily and Aria took his hand, leading him to the bed. Ezra followed along, half asleep and he fell onto his bed, almost immediately falling back asleep. Aria pulled the blanket over him and stared down at him as he slept peacefully. She slowly climbed into the bed, careful not to wake him. As she settled her in bed, Aria felt Ezra's arms wrap around her body and she cuddled into his chest.

"I love you." Ezra mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too." Aria replied, as she fell into a peaceful slumber.

**Hey y'all. So I feel like this chapter was kind of pointless but I really wanted to update because I hate making you wait. The thing is, I'm kind of stuck with this story. I'm having trouble deciding where to go from here. So if any of you have any ideas, even if you think it's a stupid idea, please PM me or let me know in the reviews. No idea is a bad idea. Thanks! **

**- xox Sobia**

**P.S. Don't forget to review :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey y'all! So I really wanted to say thank you to all of you that gave me ideas! It really helped with my writer's block and I'm really grateful. Unfortunately, I can't use all of the ideas but I still appreciate all of them. Shoutout to TheHeartOfWriting, LAXGRL4EVA, Caro M., and LuvEzriaLucian. If I missed anyone, I'm sorry, let me know in the reviews and I'll add you into the next chapter. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapte****r 19:**

"Morning!" Aria said cheerfully, as she entered her psychiatrist's office.

Deb looked up from a stack of papers she was shuffling through. "Hey there. What's got you so happy?"

Aria shrugged. "I have no idea. I've just been feeling a lot better these past few days. This whole deal we have is giving me something to work towards and it just feels like I'm in control again."

Deb smiled. "That's great! I'm glad you're doing so much better."

Aria smiled back. "Me too."

"So how have things been at school? Are you all caught up now?" Deb asked.

Aria shook her head. "Not completely, but I'm getting there. Everyone's doing their best to help me catch up and I'm all caught up with English and chemistry, but I'm still working on history and French."

"You're almost there." Deb said, encouragingly.

Aria nodded in agreement.

"How about at home? How are things there?"

Aria hesitated. "My parents are still a little weird when I'm around them but I can tell their trying. My mom's a lot better at it than my dad but I appreciate the effort. Mike's pretty normal though, we went to the arcade yesterday and just hung out like we used to when we were kids."

"I'm glad things are returning to normal for you. And it's great that your friends and family are so supportive and caring, that's a huge part of your recovery." Deb said.

"I know, I could never have done any of this without everyone's love and support. I remember in the first few weeks after I left the hospital I wouldn't even get out of bed, except to go to the funeral. And then I just came back and went back to bed. If it weren't for Ezra or the girls, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"Ezra really seems to care about you. You get this little spark in your eyes every time you mention him." Deb said, smiling.

"I love him." Aria said simply.

"I can tell." Deb replied. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"

"A year and about four months." Aria replied.

Deb smiled. "Do you think he's _the one_?"

Aria nodded, blushing.

"Aww!" Deb said, smiling widely, which made Aria blush even more.

"What about you? Do you have anyone special?" Aria asked.

This time it was Deb's turn to blush. "I just got engaged actually."

"No way! Congratulations!" Aria said, giving the older woman a hug.

Deb laughed "Thanks sweetie."

Just then the bell dinged to alert them that their time was up. Aria stood up, surprised at how fast the time had gone by. "I'll see you next week."

"Looking forward to it." Deb replied as Aria left.

* * *

"I think I actually like therapy." Aria said in the car.

Ezra looked at her, surprised. "Wow, there's something I never expected to hear." he teased.

Aria laughed. "I know, right? I don't know what it is, but I guess now that I'm opening up to Deb more, she seems more like a friend than a psychiatrist."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ezra said, taking Aria's hand over the console.

Aria smiled at him before looking out the window. "Ezra, you just missed our street."

Ezra smiled mischievously. "I know."

"Where are we going?"

"Well, there's a special screening of It Happened One Night at the movies tonight and I just so happened to have bought two tickets, wondering if maybe a certain someone would like to go with me." Ezra said, looking over at Aria with a twinkle in his eyes.

"And who might that someone be?" Aria asked teasingly.

"Well, I was going to ask Mike, but he has plans today so..." Ezra teased back.

Aria burst out laughing. "So I'm your second choice? And your first choice is my little brother?"

Ezra pretended to think this over. "Yup, that just about sums it up."

Aria slapped his arm playfully. "You're lucky you're cute."

"And that I have an amazing personality." Ezra added.

"Don't push it Fitz." Aria joked, before entwining their fingers once again.

* * *

"I'm never going to get tired of that movie." Aria said as they exited the theater.

"I second that." Ezra replied, grabbing her hand as they walked to his car. "So dinner? Or, if you're tired we could head home and maybe order in?"

"I'm fine, let's go out." Aria replied.

"I know this vegan place nearby." Ezra said, getting into the car.

"Sounds good." Aria replied.

When they were seated in the restaurant, Aria looked around and spotted Toby sitting a at a table by himself.

"Let's invite him over here." Ezra suggested.

Aria hesitated. "I haven't really talked to him since the accident. I've never really known what to say to him."

"Maybe you could try to patch things up with him?" Ezra said. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I'm just suggesting...especially because he's looking right at you."

Aria turned her head, and, sure enough, Toby had been looking at her. He waved and she waved back, offering a smile. "Fine, I'll be right back." She said, standing up and walking over towards Toby, who watched as she approached.

"Hey Toby."

"Hi."

"Haven't see you in a while."

"Yeah, I've been in Philly these past few weeks, working on a house."

"Oh cool. How have you been?" Aria asked, looking into his eyes.

Toby seemed to deflate a little but he tried not to let it show. "Okay, I guess. It's been hard, which I'm sure you can relate to, but I'm just trying to get by, one day at a time. I really miss her though."

Aria nodded. "Me too. I guess you can never really get over something like this, but eventually you learn to live with the pain."

Toby nodded. "Yeah. It's really great to finally talk to someone who gets it, you know? I mean, people are always saying things like 'I'm sorry' or 'I know how you feel' but really, they don't, and it just makes you angry when they say things like that. But, talking to you about it is really helping. You understand exactly how I feel, Spencer meant so much to both of us."

"Yeah, I totally get that." Aria replied. "Oh, I almost forgot, I came over here to ask if you wanted to join us?" she said, gesturing towards her table where Ezra was sitting, taking a sip of his water.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on your date..." Toby started.

"No, no, you wouldn't be intruding, really." Aria insisted. "It'd be really nice if you'd join us."

Toby hesitated for a moment. "Okay, why not." he said, getting up and following Aria to her table.

"Hey Toby." Ezra said, smiling at the younger man.

"Hey Mr. F-...Ezra. Nice to see you." Toby responded.

"You too." Ezra replied.

The rest of the evening passed smoothly, with the three of them talking while enjoying their meals. After a few hours, Aria yawned.

"I think that means it's time to head home." Ezra said, standing up and helping Aria out of her chair.

"It was nice to see you Toby." Aria said, smiling at him.

Toby smiled back. "You too."

"We'll see you around." Ezra said, holding out his hand.

"For sure." Toby replied, shaking Ezra's hand as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Thank you." Aria said, when they were seated in his car.

"What for?" Ezra asked, as he pulled out of the parking lot and merged into traffic.

"encouraging me to talk to Toby. It was nice to talk to him, and I feel like it helped both of us to talk to someone who was close to Spencer."

"I'm glad it helped." Ezra responded.

Aria leaned against the console and rested her head on Ezra's shoulder. Ezra kissed her forehead before he turned his attention back to the road.

**Hey y'all! So unfortunately this story is going to be ending soon because, although I received many great suggestions, I don't want this story to drag on for too long. There will be one more chapter, which I will try to post sometime next week. I plan to start another story soon, for those of you that read Broken-Hearted Girl, I'm planning the sequel right now so the first chapter should hopefully be up in a few weeks. I also have a story called My Saviour that I'm also working on, so if you would like, you can check that out. Don't forget to review on this chapter, I love hearing from you!**

**-xox Sobia :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Ezra woke up on Monday morning to find curled up against him, snoring softly. He smiled and leaned closer to her, kissing her shoulder, slowly making his way up her neck.

"Mmmm." Aria smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Good morning."

Ezra pecked her lips. "Morning, beautiful." he said, smiling down at her.

Ezra brought his face down to hers, their lips connecting. Aria's fingers were knotted in Ezra's hair and his arms were around her waist, their bodies pressed together.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning." Aria commented when they broke apart.

"We're celebrating today." Ezra replied.

Aria looked up at him, confused. "What are we celebrating?"

"Do you know what the date is today?" Ezra asked.

Aria shook her head. She sat up and squinted at the calender on the wall. "August 7th. So?"

Ezra waited patiently for her to think it over. Finally, Aria's face lit up.

"Two months." she whispered, her face breaking out into a wide smile.

Ezra nodded, smiling back. "You did it!"

"Oh my God! Ezra, it's been two months!" Aria cried, practically jumping up and down. Without warning, she launched herself at Ezra, almost knocking him off the bed as her lips crashed against his. Regaining his balance, Ezra kissed her back before he picked her up and spun her around the room. Aria shrieked gleefully, holding her arms up above her. When Ezra finally placed her back on her feet, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest.

"Come on, we're going out for breakfast today, wherever you want." Ezra proposed.

Aria smiled. "How about that pastry shop down the street?"

"Your wish is my command." Ezra said, bowing slightly.

Aria laughed. "I'm going to get changed." she said, going over to the dresser and grabbing a yellow tank top and a pair of shorts before going to the bathroom to get changed. She emerged ten minutes later, changed and her hair combed to a glossy shine. Ezra was sitting on the couch in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The couple walked out of the apartment, hand in hand, ready to celebrate.

* * *

"Hey there!" Deb said, giving Aria a hug as she entered her office. "You did it!"

Aria's smile couldn't have been any bigger. "I can't believe it. I'm done! I'm not going to Radley!"

Deb smiled back. "No you're not! And, I have more news!"

"What?" Aria asked curiously.

"You don't need therapy anymore! You're healed!" Deb said.

"Are you serious?!" Aria replied, ecstatic. She hugged the older woman, "Thank you so much Deb! You've done so much for me, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for this!"

"Just stay strong and don't let our time together go to waste. That's all the repayment I need." Deb replied.

Aria nodded. "I will."

"Oh, and one more thing. This is for you." Deb said, holding an envelope out to Aria.

"What's this?" Aria asked curiously.

"I'm getting married next month, and you're invited. Bring your boyfriend with you, I'd love to meet the man who helped you through all this."

Aria nodded. "I will. Congratulations! We'll definitely be there!"

"Great! I can't wait to see you!" Deb responded happily.

The two women hugged once more. At this time, Aria realized how close she and Deb had become over the course of these past few months. She really didn't know how she'd have gotten through everything without the help of her psychiatrist and she was eternally grateful.

"Deb, you're the best!" Aria said, hugging her tight.

* * *

As Aria left Deb's office, she got a text.

_Congratz! Knew you could do it! - Hanna_

_Thanks Han! Meet up later?" - Aria_

_Plans with Caleb today, sorry. Tomorrow? - Hanna  
_

_Sounds good!_ Aria replied before starting her car and heading over to the apartment. She received another text along the way and waited till she was at a stoplight before she opened it.

_Hey love, can you pick up some milk on your way home?" -Ezra_

Aria replied.

_Sure babe. I'll be home in twenty. - Aria_

_Can't wait to see your beautiful face - xox Ezra_

Aria smiled and put her phone down as the light turned green. She headed for the grocery store, picking up the milk, before she went back to Ezra's. As she opened the door to apartment 3B, she noticed the lights were off.

"Ezra?" she called, reaching blindly for the light swich.

All of a sudden, the apartment was flooded with light and a loud chorus of "Surprise!" echoed through the apartment. Aria looked around to see Hanna, Emily, Caleb, Paige, Toby, Mike, Ella, Byron, and of course, Ezra standing around his apartment, which had been decorated with balloons and streamers. There were snacks put out and drinks on the coffee table.

Aria felt her eyes fill with tears of happiness. She looked around the room at the smiling faces of her friends and family. "Oh my God! You guys really didn't have to do this!" she said, beaming.

"We wanted to, you deserve it." Ezra said, stepping forward and wrapping one arm around her waist. She hugged him, and then turned to everyone else. "Well, are you all just going to stand there?" she asked, holding her other arm out. Hanna and Emily stepped forward and joined the hug, everyone else soon following in one big group hug.

When they all broke apart, Mike said "So...let's eat!"

Aria rolled her eyes, laughing. "You came for the food, didn't you?"

"Duh! You don't think I came to celebrate with you, did you?" Mike said playfully.

Aria punched his arm, and laughed. "Ladies and gentleman, I present to you brother of the year!" she said, holding an imaginary microphone to her lips.

Everyone laughed and soon they were all around the apartment, talking, laughing, enjoying the snacks. Aria sat on the couch, her back against Ezra's chest, their fingers intertwined in her lap as Ezra subconsciously played with her fingers.

"Thank you for doing this for me." Aria said to him. "It was really sweet." She gave him a peck on the lips.

"Anything to see that beautiful smile on your face." Ezra replied, smiling.

"Well, if it isn't the lovebirds." Ella teased, sitting down next to her daughter.

Aria's cheeks reddened a bit but she grinned at her mom. "Hey mama. Enjoying the party?"

Ella nodded. "Honey, I'm so proud of you. I know it wasn't easy to deal with everything, but in the end you came out strong, as always."

"Thank mom." Aria said, giving her mother a hug. Ella hugged her back before pulling apart.

"Your father and I got you a little something." she said, holding out a little box.

"Mom you really didn't-"

"Oh hush! Just open it." Ella said, laughing.

Aria smiled as she unwrapped the little black box and opened it. Inside was a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant that had Aria's initials engraved on the back. Aria felt her eyes fill with tears. "Mom, it's beautiful." she said, looking up at her mother. "Thank you!"

"Your welcome!" Ella replied and Aria hugged her again.

"You're the best!"

"I know." Ella joked, laughing. Aria rolled her eyes but laughed too.

* * *

After everyone had left, Aria and Ezra had quickly cleaned up the apartment and settled down to watch TV. About ten minutes into the first show, Aria's eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep in Ezra's arms.

As she slept, Aria had a dream. She saw Spencer sitting in an open field, wearing a yellow sundress and a hat.

"Spencer!" she called. Spencer turned her head and smiled at her petite friend, waving to her.

Aria ran to her friend and sat down in front of her. "Spencer, you're okay!"

Spencer nodded. "I like it here. There's nothing to worry about, no school, no A, nothing. It's great!"

"I'm glad to hear that!" Aria said sincerely. "I've missed you so much!"

"I miss you too! And Hanna and Emily...and Toby." As she said Toby's name, Aria could see a hint of sadness behind her best friend's eyes.

"Spence, I'm so sorry." she said, putting her hand on her friend's bare leg.

Spencer shook her head. "It's not your fault, it never was. It was just an unfortunate accident."

"But I-"

"No buts!" Spencer said. "I don't blame you and it's been killing me to see what it's done to you. Aria, none of this was your fault and I'm really glad that you've been able to get through this. You're strong."

"Little but big." Aria said, smiling as she remember Spencer saying those words to her.

Spencer laughed. "Exactly!" Her expression became serious. "Ar, you need to always remember one thing."

"What's that?" Aria asked.

"Always remember that I love you and that we're best friends, alive or dead. Nothing can break up team Sparia. Stay strong and be happy. We'll meet again someday...hopefully not anytime soon." she said with a laugh.

Aria laughed too. "Thanks Spence. I love you!"

"Love you too!" Spencer replied and hugged her.

Aria woke up with a smile on her face. She sat up slowly and noticed Ezra was asleep. He opened his eyes when he felt her shifting.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Aria replied, settling herself against his chest and closing her eyes once more and sleep overcame her again.

**Okay, so that was the last chapter of this story. I really hope you all enjoy it! I will be posting the first chapter of the sequel to Broken-Hearted Girl today as well, so feel free to check it out! It's going to be a happier fic than this one so I hope you like it. For those of you that love angst, if you're not already reading My Saviour, feel free to check it out. Don't forget to leave a review! **

**-xox Sobia :)**

**( Sobia_B26 on twitter)**


End file.
